www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html


Smuggled Hello Kitty danger averted
Monday, April 16, 2007

Customs officials in Australia have seized a potentially lethal haul of nunchakus, batons, guns and Hello Kitty stationery.

The illegal goods were discovered in a container shipped from China, and prompted a series of raids on homes and businesses across Adelaide to uncover those responsible for importing the deadly cargo, which also included backpacks and pocket mirrors.

The smuggled items, which could have caused serious injury, included 197 nunchakus, 100 steel batons, 831 BB guns, as well as an assortment of counterfeit Yu-Gi-Oh! goods in addition to the knocked-off Hello Kitty wares.

A 38-year-old man has been arrested over the haul, and could face $275,000 or ten years in prison for importing the weapons, and the Hello Kitty stuff.

Customs national investigations manager Richard Janeczko commented: 'While some counterfeit goods may resemble the genuine article, they can be sub-standard and disappoint unsuspecting shoppers who are paying for what they believe to be authentic items.' Which was presumably in reference to the Hello Kitty items, not the dangerous weapons.