New York District Attorney calls for seizure of Manolo Blahnik's

A nightmare worthy of a Sex and the City episode has been taking place for the last two years. Since September 2013, 274 pairs of Manolo Blahnik shoes have been held at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. The shoes were seized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Inspectors because they are allegedly made from an endangered species.

According to a U.S. District Court document filed on Tuesday, the shoes are made from Cerberus rynchops, also known as the dog-faced water snake. Dog-faced water snakes are protected by the Indian Wildlife Act of 1972.

Manolo Blahnik shoes held at JFK airport for two years

The custom forms that came with the shoes, whose total value is estimated at 43,292 dollars, stated the skins were originally collected in China. China is not known to have a native population of dog-faced water snakes. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists the native habitats of the snakes as several places in Australia, South Asia, and Southeastern Asia.

Manolo Blahnik has attempted to retrieve the shoes, first, by providing a Chinese CITES export permit and re-export certificate, which were declared deficient. Next, they provided a statement from their foreign supplier exporter in Italy, which was considered erroneous.

Robert L. Capers, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, has filed to have the shoes forfeited and condemned, in addition to being reimbursed for all the costs and disbursements from the proceedings.

Neither Manolo Blahnik nor Capers office were immediately available for further comment regarding this issue.

photo:lyst.com