A traveller returning from Ethiopia with hundreds of highly toxic jequirity beans was stopped at customs in southern China, reported local China media.
The seeds, pretty and popular for use in ornaments and jewellery, are highly poisonous are native to Asia. The passenger, attracted by its bright color, picked the seeds from trees in Ethiopia.
There have been reports on the mainland on people being poisoned, often fatally, by eating the beans or wearing bracelets or necklaces made from them. The botanical name, Abrus precatorious, refers to the presence of abrin, a toxic compound that stops cells making proteins.