Traveler fined for smuggling thousands of live leeches in carry-on bag
A Canadian traveler was hit with a US$11,000 fine last week for attempting to smuggle nearly 5,000 live leeches on a flight.
Ippolit Bodounov of Niagara Falls, Ontario, arrived at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport with 4,788 leeches hidden in his carry-on bag, according to prosecutors.
An airport sniffer dog picked up the scent.
The leeches were found to be the Hirudo verbena variety, which is one of only two species of medicinal leech which require a permit for importation.
He pleaded guilty to the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act.
"These species are regulated because over-harvesting of medicinal leeches from the wild is a major threat to the species," said government agency, Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Bodounov was thought to be the first person in Canada convicted of importing the species.
"This is our first large-scale illegal leech import," said Gerry Brunet, operations manager for the ECCC’s wildlife enforcement directorate.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Suspension of all regional trains in Catalonia following two new rail accidents in Spain