German officials seize cooked bats at Belgian border

An Ivorian citizen is in custody in Germany after the van he was driving was found to have been transporting an unusual load consisting of unrefrigerated fish and cooked bats.

Federal police said a patrol had stopped the vehicle, which was uninsured, near the border city of Aachen on Monday. They said the bats were found underneath around a ton of fish. 

What more do we know about the incident?

The bats and fish were confiscated after a vet from the local consumer protection office inspected the scene. Police also seized the uninsured van.

Police said in a statement that the 31-year-old driver, an Ivorian citizen, was now facing a criminal complaint for traffic offenses. He is also being investigated for entering the country without papers or a driver's license, they said.

In addition, administrative proceedings will be conducted against him for violations of food hygiene rules and possibly also for potential offenses related to conservation laws because of the bats.

He is being held in custody at the order of an Aachen court pending being handed over to authorities in Italy, which is where he is registered as a resident.

Bats, mostly fruit bats, are eaten by people in many countries of the world, including China, Vietnam and Indonesia.

 tj/rc (dpa, AP)