Over 700 marine animals found stuffed in plastic bags at Buenos Aires Airport

More than 700 marine animals were discovered crammed into plastic bags and intercepted at a Buenos Aires airport in what authorities say is one of the latest large-scale cases highlighting a growing illegal wildlife trafficking network.

Argentine officials seized a total of 709 animals representing 102 different species at Ezeiza International Airport after the shipment was traced back to Kenya, according to the Associated Press and environmental authorities involved in the operation.

The animals, reportedly including puffer fish, lionfish, surgeonfish, butterflyfish, octopuses, crabs and starfish, had been transported in hundreds of tightly sealed plastic bags and spent nearly five days in transit.

Many arrived dead, while survivors showed signs of severe stress and dehydration.

The interception was carried out through a coordinated effort involving Argentina’s Environmental Control Brigade, customs authorities, agricultural health inspectors, conservation group Fundación Temaikèn, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Experts say the scale and organization of the shipment points to a highly structured trafficking operation rather than isolated smuggling activity.

According to officials, Fundación Temaikèn—one of the few institutions in Argentina equipped to handle marine wildlife rescues of this nature—launched an emergency 28-hour rescue operation to stabilize the surviving animals.

Veterinarians installed additional tanks with specialized heating, filtration, and water-conditioning systems to support tropical species affected by extreme transport conditions.

Each surviving animal required careful individual treatment, including slow-drip acclimation procedures designed to reduce shock caused by abrupt changes in water conditions after prolonged confinement in sealed bags.

“Many of these animals were extracted from reef ecosystems and arrived at the limit of survival,” said Cristian Gillet, wildlife director at Fundación Temaikèn.

Officials from IFAW also warned that the seizure reflects a wider, increasingly organized criminal network.

“This is an industrialized crime,” said conservation expert Christian Plowman, noting that transporting hundreds of animals across continents in sealed bags requires coordination across multiple stages of the supply chain.

Plowman also pointed out that this was the third seizure at the same airport within a year, suggesting the existence of an established trafficking route that criminals repeatedly exploit until enforcement actions disrupt operations.

“This interception and the two before it should be understood as intelligence, not just seizures,” he added.

Authorities have not announced any arrests so far, and investigations are ongoing as officials work to determine the full extent of the trafficking network and the long-term survival prospects for the rescued animals.