A man attempting to smuggle more than 100 live snakes from Hong Kong to mainland China was arrested with the snakes hidden in his trouser pocket, customs authorities said.
Five different snakes discovered According to CNN, customs officials at the port of Futian placed the items in a sealed bag and shoved it in the man’s pocket.
The statement, seen by the media, said the travellers had been trying to enter the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen but were stopped at a port checkpoint.
“When officers opened the bags, they found that each bag contained several live snakes of various shapes and colours,” the official said. “They then counted and found a total of 104 snakes.”
Video and images obtained by Chinese media showed customs officials inspecting several bags of reptiles, later identified as milk snakes, western hognose snakes, corn snakes, Texas rat snakes and bull snakes.
Video: Man arrested at airport with 104 live snakes in his pocket
Chinese customs officials say a man has been arrested after trying to smuggle more than 104 live snakes into mainland China by stuffing them in his trousers.
The traveller, whose name has not been released, was stopped at customs… pic.twitter.com/2AGVYUR0rI
— Vanguard News (@vanguardngrnews) July 10, 2024
Officials noted that none of the species found were poisonous.
The statement did not specify when the incident occurred but said it happened “a few days ago.”
It is unclear whether the man has been arrested, but Chinese authorities have warned that “if regulations are violated, customs will pursue legal responsibility in accordance with the law.”
