13 live iguanas found in pickup headed for North Carolina, Florida troopers say

A routine traffic stop got progressively stranger when troopers learned the driver was headed to North Carolina with 13 live iguanas, the Florida Highway Patrol reported in an April 30 news release.

The odd discovery was made around 6:30 a.m. Thursday near Winter Haven, Florida, after a trooper noted the Ford F150 did not have a visible license plate on its trailer, officials said.

When questioned, the 32-year-old driver presented a Georgia ID card and said he was from North Carolina and was “driving to Miami to get coconuts, then traveling to Polk County to get fish, and finally returning to North Carolina,” a trooper reported.

“Seemed to be a lot of travel for items which could have been more easily obtained in North Carolina,” officials concluded.

A search dog was summoned, resulting in troopers finding “13 live iguanas, with feet zip tied behind their backs” in the bed of the pickup, troopers said. Five coolers of ice tilapia were also found, officials said.

Iguanas are an invasive species from Central and South America, known to reach 5 feet in length. They “deliver painful bites to people and pets,” Critter Control reports. A permit is required to possess the lizards in Florida.

Troopers arrested the man on a charge of driving with a suspended Georgia driver’s license, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is leading an investigation into the iguanas, officials said. The Florida Department of Agriculture is also investigating.

“The rescued iguanas were turned over to a local rescue shelter,” Florida Highway Patrol officials said.

Investigators did not reveal the driver’s destination in North Carolina, or what he intended to do with the lizards.

Winter Haven is about a 45-mile drive southwest from Orlando.

This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 6:18 AM with the headline "13 live iguanas found in pickup headed for North Carolina, Florida troopers say."