A man was caught with over 100 live snakes in his pants pockets while trying to smuggle them into mainland China from Hong Kong, customs officials said.
Five different species of snake were discovered in sealed bags stuffed into the man’s pockets by Futian Port customs officers, CNN reported.
The traveler was trying to cross into the southern Chinese city of Shenzen but was stopped at the port’s checkpoint, a statement obtained by the outlet said.
“Officers opened the bags and found that each bag contained a number of live snakes in various shapes and colors,” officials said. “After counting, a total of 104 snakes were found.”
Video and images obtained by Chinese media show the customs officers examining several bags of reptiles, which were later identified as milk snakes, western hognose snakes, corn snakes, Texas rat snakes, and bullsnakes:
Video: Man caught with 104 live snakes in his pockets at airport
— Vanguard Newspapers (@vanguardngrnews) July 10, 2024
A man has been caught trying to smuggle over 104 live snakes into mainland China by cramming them into his trousers, according to the country’s customs authority.
The unnamed traveller was stopped by customs… pic.twitter.com/2AGVYUR0rI
None of the species found were venomous, officials noted.
While the statement did not specify exactly when the incident took place, it stated it occurred “a few days ago.”
It is unclear if the man was arrested, but Chinese officials warned that “if the regulations are violated, the customs will pursue legal liability in accordance with the law.”
