Border Force officials confiscate $26,000 handbag made of alligator skin
An eye-wateringly expensive Saint Laurent handbag imported from France never made it to its Australian owner. Here’s why the luxury accessory was confiscated.
Police & Courts
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An alligator handbag worth more than $26,000 has been snapped up by Border Force officials after a women tried to import it without proper permits.
Officers seized the designer bag on the suspicion it had been involved in the illegal wildlife trade when it touched down at an Australian air cargo depot in January.
The bag was then tested and confiscated after it was confirmed to be made of alligator skin.
Products made from alligator skin are allowed into Australia but are subject to strict regulations and require permits to protect potentially vulnerable species.
The West Australian woman who bought the eye-waveringly expensive bag from the Saint Laurent boutique in France avoided further penalty but was left out of pocket $26,000.
Environment Minister Sussan Ley said Australians needed to make sure they had the correct permits when importing and exporting goods.
“Aside from the rules themselves, it is important that people take the time to think about ethical fashion choices,” she added.
Assistant Customs Minister Jason Wood said the case should serve as a warning to anyone importing fashion from overseas.
“The Australian Border Force works closely with the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment to detect cases of illegally imported exotic wildlife products at the border, including fashion accessories, tourist trinkets, furs, taxidermy animals and ivory,” Mr Wood said.
“We would like to remind importers to ensure they have the correct permits in place before attempting to import these items.”
The maximum penalty for wildlife trade offences is 10 years imprisonment and $222,000 for individuals.
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