A woman has won a two-year battle to have her crocodile-skin handbag returned after it was seized by UK customs officials upon arrival from Japan, the Daily Mail reported on 27 April.
Made from the Nile crocodile—a protected species—the skin was farmed and legally imported from Zambia. However, maker Hikiji, which was exporting to the UK for the first time, failed to supply the necessary export documentation.
Judge Anne Redston said Sabine Smouha has acted in good faith and the skin had not been smuggled.