A man has been caught trying to smuggle over 100 live snakes into mainland China by stuffing them down his trousers.
Officers stopped the unnamed traveller as he attempted to cross from semi-autonomous Hong Kong into Shenzhen, China Customs announced on Tuesday (09.07.24).
A statement read: “Upon inspection, customs officers discovered that the pockets of the trousers the passenger was wearing were packed with six canvas drawstring bags and sealed with tape.
“Once opened, each bag was found to contain living snakes in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colours.”
The officers managed to seize 104 of the reptiles - including milk snakes and corn snakes - many of which were non-native species but the smuggler’s punishment is yet to be revealed.
In recent years, China has been cracking down on the illegal trade after becoming one of the world’s biggest hubs for animal trafficking.
The country’s laws prohibit bringing in non-native species without permission.
Customs authorities explained: “Those who break the rules will be... held liable in accordance with the law.”