James BryceA BRITISH man who attempted to smuggle endangered monkeys out of Spain is facing prison.
The expat from Motril was arrested last year in the border town of Irun with four ‘Tito Pigmeo’ monkeys on the back seat of his car.
Police found the animals – which are an endangered species – in three small plastic cages hidden under some clothes.
While he was unable to produce documentation for the monkeys, he claimed he ran an animal rescue centre in Huéscar, Granada, and was heading to Britain to breed them.
It later emerged however, that an endangered species centre he previously ran in Motril had actually been closed down.
He had intended to travel to the UK, but was caught by French police shortly before boarding the ferry.
Following his arrest he claimed the monkeys were to be used for scientific research, with the aim of creating a new species.
The Prosecutor is now calling for a 20-month prison sentence for what it considers a crime ‘against wild flora and fauna.’
