The woman, from South Korea, was stopped at Guangzhou Airport in China as she returned home
Guards noticed a bottle of liquid in her hand luggage and asked her to throw it away or drink it
She chose to drink it but officials grew suspicious when she refused to swallow and spat out dozens of tadpoles
It is an offence that in some countries could spawn a full-scale airport security alert.
But a South Korean woman was stopped at Guangzhou Airport in China after she tried to smuggle dozens of tadpoles past customs officials… in her mouth.
The bizarre encounter began when guards noticed the woman had a bottle of liquid in her hand luggage as she tried to board a plane home.
Following international flight rules to the letter, the guards told the woman to drink the liquid or throw it away.
Opting for the former, the unnamed woman swilled the liquid in one attempt.
But when the beady-eyed officials noticed she had not swallowed, they demanded she spit it out into a bucket.
Upon doing so, dozens of tiny frog young rushed from her mouth to the horror of passengers and guards alike.
When confronted about the bizarre plan, she said she had been given the tadpoles by a friend and did not want to lose them.
Unconvinced, the guards made her throw the poles away before boarding the plane.
It is not the first time a passenger has attempted to smuggle live amphibians through airport security.
In 2011, two Japanese men were arrested at Los Angeles International Airport after attempting to smuggling more than 50 live turtles into the U.S in cereal boxes.
The men, both from Osaka, were arrested at LAX as part of a investigation into live animal smuggling known as ‘Operation Flying Turtle’.
The pair had hidden turtles and tortoises in snack food boxes inside a suitcase.
They were charged in a two-count criminal complaint that alleges one count of illegally importing wildlife into the United States, a smuggling offense that carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
Both were jailed for 21 months and seven months respectively.
