A man was arrested after hiding 52 reptiles under his clothes at the Mexican border

The horned lizards were found at the San Diego border in an attempt to smuggle them into the US.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection via AP

Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a man at the San Diego border for trying to smuggle 52 lizards.

A 30-year-old U.S. citizen was trying to enter the United States from Mexico with 43 horned lizards and nine snakes in small bags under his clothes. The incident happened around 3 a.m.

The live reptiles were placed in a secure area after the driver was booked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Some of the animals are in danger.

The economy can be hurt by bringing creatures that are not native to the U.S. One pest could cause millions of dollars in damages to U.S. agriculture.

More than 2,000 animals and plants were seized in a wildlife traffickers' campaign in 2019.

Last week, border officers and an agricultural specialist identified a beetle inside an aircraft that was flying from Senegal to Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico, the agency said.

The USDA identified the insect as a snout beetle or true weevil. It was the first time the species had been caught.

The agency says it protects American agriculture by stopping plant pests and animal diseases.

What appears to be a harmless insect can cause significant harm to our economy, according to Gregory Alvarez, director of CBP Field Operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.