Authorities in a northern Turkish city captured a Swedish national with insects and plants he tried to smuggle to his native country.

The man, identified as Lars Erik Rune Emanuelsson, was stopped by police after locals he asked about plant seeds grew suspicious and alerted the police.

Searching his possessions, police found several dried plants and dead insects wrapped in papers and kept in glass tubes.

Emanuelsson told the police he picked the plants and insects from the eastern Turkish cities of Van and Kars and it was his "hobby" to examine them.

Authorities fined him TL 42,000 ($11,000) for illegally collecting plants and insects.