Man Caught Smuggling 100 Live Snakes in Trousers at China Border

In a startling incident, a man was apprehended while attempting to smuggle over 100 live snakes into mainland China by hiding them in his trousers, according to the country’s customs authority.

The unnamed individual was intercepted by customs officers as he tried to cross from semi-autonomous Hong Kong into the border city of Shenzhen. A statement from China Customs on Tuesday detailed the discovery.

“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,” the statement revealed. “Once opened, each bag was found to contain living snakes in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and colors.”

In total, officers seized 104 snakes, including milk snakes and corn snakes, many of which were non-native species. An accompanying video showed border agents examining transparent plastic bags filled with the squirming reptiles, displaying a range of red, pink, and white snakes.

China, one of the world’s largest hubs for animal trafficking, has intensified its efforts to curb illicit wildlife trade in recent years. The country’s biosecurity and disease control laws prohibit the importation of non-native species without proper authorization.

“Those who break the rules will be… held liable in accordance with the law,” the customs authority stated, though they did not specify the man’s punishment.