Ecuador: Russian woman in pre-trial detention for trafficking in Galapagos iguanas

A Russian woman who tried to transport 32 live marine iguanas to Iceland was remanded in custody on Saturday by an Ecuadorian judge for alleged wildlife trafficking, prosecutors announced. Iguanas are part of Ecuador's protected wildlife, the prosecution recalled.

The woman was carrying in her luggage small reptiles of the species Amblyrhynchus cristatus, endemic to the Ecuadorian Galapagos archipelago, located approximately 1000 km from the country's coast, home to unique fauna and flora in the world. In this island province, which takes its name from the giant tortoises that live there, there are four species of iguanas: three terrestrial species (one of which is pink) and one marine species.

“Alleged offense against flora and wild fauna”

“A judge ordered the pre-trial detention of Olga K., indicted for an alleged offense against flora and wild fauna,” the prosecution indicated on X, stipulating that the case would be judged on September 18. The woman faces up to three years in prison.

Police said the Russian woman who was traveling to Iceland was arrested Friday at Quito airport, where officers discovered the iguanas crammed into eight plastic boxes, as shown in a video also broadcast on X. The animals were found in a "state of weakness and dehydration," the Environment Ministry said in a statement.