Mexican wildlife agency seizes 13 threatened dragons bound for Hong Kong

Mexico's environmental enforcement agency, the Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente (Profepa), intercepted a package in Mexico City on 23 July after a courier company reported a suspicious parcel. Inside a box containing industrial safety‑boot cartons, inspectors found six smaller boxes with black cotton socks holding 13 specimens of the Mexican dragon (Abronia graminea), a species classified as threatened and listed under CITES Appendix II.

The reptiles had no legal documentation and were slated for shipment to Hong Kong. Profepa placed the animals under protective custody and launched an investigation into the illegal wildlife trade, reiterating its commitment to combat trafficking of protected species.