Okay, so it’s not exactly the opening scene of Midnight Express, but imagine the sight: You’re in line at the airport, waiting to go through the security checkpoint, when you notice a man being pulled out of line in front of you. Authorities pat down the bulge beneath the man’s shirt and begin pulling out monkeys… 18 of them. Now that’s a vacation memory.

And this is just what happened in Mexico City, where a man was caught attempting to transport 18 titi monkeys by concealing them underneath his shirt.

According to reports, the 38-year-old had begun his trip with the monkeys in Lima, Peru. He had originally stored them in his luggage but then opted to hide them on his person so the monkeys wouldn’t be harmed by the x-ray machine (read: detected).

The man said the monkeys, which are a protected endangered species, were his pets and that he’d bought them for $30. It’s possible that the man was smuggling the monkeys to a location where they could be purchased at a premium by collectors of exotic animals.

Unfortunately, two of the furry creatures did not survive the trip.

Man arrested with 18 monkeys at Mexico City airport [CNN]

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