Customs agencies in Italy have seized a large batch of semi-finished alligator skins hidden in a shipment of hides bound for China, according to local press.

The exotic skins did not have the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) export certificates. Cites is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals.

The hides were confiscated during the daily checks to combat illegal trafficking in the port of Ancona in central Italy, and were tanned in Italy after being bought in the US, according to the report.

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