Mollusk malice: Suitcases full of dangerous snails caught entering Israel

Inspectors from the Agriculture Ministry's Plant Protection and Inspection Services department made a shocking discovery at Ben-Gurion Airport. Within 48 hours, they found thousands of snails weighing altogether five kilograms in the personal belongings of two Thai foreign workers who arrived in the country, along with a small quantity of dried plants. The snails were confiscated upon their unearthing.

According to the new arrivals, the snails were intended for personal use, likely for consumption. Both the snails and the plants were confiscated and are undergoing further examination at the Agriculture Ministry.

During the examination, it was discovered that the snails belong to a freshwater snail species called Filopaludina, which is included in the Agriculture Ministry's quarantine list. 

Belonging to the Viviparidae family, these large, operculate snails are common in South Asia, especially in Thailand, found particularly in polluted water sites. The creatures exhibit high tolerance levels to ammonia. In these areas, the snails are used for food, but they also transmit diseases to humans as they act as hosts for the parasite Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which causes inflammation of the brain lining.

Additionally, this species causes significant damage to aquatic plants and can pose a serious threat to Israeli agriculture.

Dangerous snails brought to Israel

A capture of this magnitude and with these types of pests is considered unprecedented and rare. In the past 20 years, there have been only nine captures recorded following similar smuggling attempts of six different species and subspecies of this type of snail between the years 2006-2005, 2014-2013, and in 2009. In these instances, snails were expunged from various areas, such as from Tel Mond, where they were located in a greenhouse in a water cultivation tank, and from Kfar Saba, where they were discovered carousing in a public park's swimming pool. The snail infestations were ultimately defeated in each of the nine cases. 

Since early last December, the Agriculture Ministry has apprehended plant materials from 25 foreign workers in different locations, which were being used for personal purposes. These smuggling attempts expose the plant industry and the ecological environment in Israel to the invasion of new pests. According to the ministry, this could have irreversible consequences for Israel's agriculture and ecological balance.

Shlomit Zioni, director of the Agriculture Ministry's Plant Protection and Inspection Services, said, "The Agriculture Ministry welcomes the return of foreign workers to the State of Israel, especially in the agricultural sector. However, there is concern that these workers may bring in plants or pests from their home countries that are unfamiliar to Israel's ecological system, and which may cause significant damage. Therefore, the ministry emphasized to employers in different sectors not to import fresh agricultural produce into Israel."