African land snails found in luggage at Michigan airport

ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) — Six giant African land snails have been found in the luggage of a traveler who flew to Michigan from the west African country of Ghana. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says Friday that the mollusks, which can carry diseases that affect humans, were discovered and seized March 9 during an agriculture inspection at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus. The man transporting the snails is a resident of Ghana and said they were to be eaten. The snails are prohibited in Michigan and the rest of the United States. They eat at least 500 different types of plants, along with plaster and stucco. They grow as long as 8 inches and carry a parasite that can cause meningitis in humans.