Owning a monkey sounds like a good idea right up until it starts flinging poop around and trying to rip your face off. And yet, there are still people so enamored with the idea of owning a primate that they’ll risk prison, the health and safety of their genitals, and not to mention the health and safety of the actual primates they were trafficking.
According to authorities in Cartagena, Colombia, two people were arrested after allegedly attempting to smuggle three baby monkeys through Rafael Núñez International Airport and onto a flight headed to the Dominican Republic. Police say the baby monkeys were being smuggled in the suspect’s underwear and within their clothing.
Sadly, one of the monkeys suffocated and died in transport.
¡ESTO ES CRUELDAD!
Siendo apenas unos bebés, estos tres monos fueron separados de los brazos de su madre, privados de su libertad para ser presuntamente comercializados en el exterior. pic.twitter.com/FyEmVuDCpt— EPACartagena (@EPACartagena) May 13, 2026
Police Say Two People Tried to Smuggle Baby Monkeys Through an Airport in Their Underwear
Officials identified the surviving primate as a white-faced capuchin. There are conflicting reports about the monkey’s species, with some outlets identifying it as a howler monkey and others as a brown spider monkey. Either way, authorities suspect that the suffocated monkey died while pressed against one of the smuggler’s bodies for an extended stretch of time.
The surviving monkeys, which were only about a month old, were found weak and dehydrated, barely hanging on. Video released by Colombian authorities showed animal rescue workers feeding the surviving monkeys with syringes.
The suspects, a 26-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman from La Jagua de Ibirico, Colombia, face charges related to wildlife trafficking and the illegal exploitation of natural resources.
The post Two People Were Arrested for Allegedly Trying to Smuggle Baby Monkeys in Their Underwear appeared first on VICE.
