Quote from the above link, "A judge has charged Abelovsky with attempted smuggling, and he faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted."
I would have thought 10 years was a deterrent to people who were worried about getting caught, another 10 or 20 years l don't imagine would change the impact.
This guy may have been a distraction for customs as surely a professional smuggler would have been aware of x ray baggage checks and lack of oxygen in the cargo hold.
Maybe there were a few others on this flight who were carrying animals on their body who got away with it. As this guy was never going to be successful.
