Northampton smuggler caught with £100,000 of endangered birds' eggs strapped to his chest jailed

A Northampton smuggler who entered the UK with protected birds' eggs strapped to his chest has been jailed.
Jeffrey Lendrum was caught at Heathrow with up to 100,000 of endangered birds eggs' strapped to his chest.Jeffrey Lendrum was caught at Heathrow with up to 100,000 of endangered birds eggs' strapped to his chest.
Jeffrey Lendrum was caught at Heathrow with up to 100,000 of endangered birds eggs' strapped to his chest.

Jeffrey Lendrum of Cliftonville Road, Northampton, was stopped at Heathrow in June 2018 after arriving from South Africa.

Officers found 56-year-old wearing a sling under his coat containing up to £100,000 of endangered birds' eggs.

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The stash of eggs from birds of prey, including vultures, eagles, hawks and kites, was worth up to £100,000, the Telegraph reported.

Jeffrey Lendrum was caught at Heathrow with up to 100,000 of endangered birds eggs' strapped to his chest.Jeffrey Lendrum was caught at Heathrow with up to 100,000 of endangered birds eggs' strapped to his chest.
Jeffrey Lendrum was caught at Heathrow with up to 100,000 of endangered birds eggs' strapped to his chest.

He pleaded guilty to four offences on the second day of his trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court and was jailed for three years and one month.

Lendrum was also jailed for 18 months in 2010 after he was caught at Birmingham Airport with egg boxes strapped to his chest.

He had taken 14 eggs from peregrine falcon nests in South Wales and tried to smuggle them out of the UK.

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Police described him at the time as 'the highest level of wildlife criminal'.

In October 2015, Lendrum was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison in Sao Paolo after he was again found carrying rare falcon eggs. He fled Brazil after he was released on bail.

Remi Ogunfowora, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "We worked with our partners in the National Crime Agency to ensure this prolific bird egg smuggler faced appropriate charges.

"We hope the sentence passed deters others from becoming involved in the damaging trade around rare and endangered wildlife."