Chinese man nabbed while trying to smuggle 14 snakes in his pockets

 

A man in China tried to evade customs inspection by hiding 14 snakes in his pockets, but his attempts were foiled by attentive guards who noticed his unusual appearance. The man, whose identity has not been revealed, was apprehended at Futian Port, one of the entry points along the boundary separating mainland China and Hong Kong, located in Shenzhen, a city in southeastern China.

Officials at Huanggang Customs on the Chinese side of the border, observed the man showing signs of anxiety and deliberately avoiding making eye contact, reported The Metro. Subsequently, they requested to inspect his luggage and ultimately uncovered a total of 14 snakes concealed within cotton socks and stockings.

The passenger, clad in black attire and sporting a white cap, was anxiously patting his pockets while standing at the checkpoint. The reptiles were housed in plastic containers before being turned over to authorities. One by one, the border agents opened the socks and released the snakes. Among the 14 snakes, three were identified as ball pythons, colloquially referred to as royal pythons. These snakes belong to the category of ‘near threatened’ species and are included in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

According to DailyStar, Laws in China make it clear that any animals transported in and out of the country must be inspected and quarantined before they can be legally released. It means the 14 snakes unsuccessfully smuggled through the border would have been in need of a quarantine order and a subsequent inspection to check for diseases.