Sneaky slither: Customs officers uncover woman smuggling 5 snakes in her underwear

The vigilance deployed by customs officers was tested recently when they became suspicious of a woman who seemed agitated. Shock ensued when they discovered that she had five snakes concealed within her underwear, having smuggled them all the way from America.

Late last month, customs officials at a port in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, became suspicious of the woman’s demeanour. They requested to search her, and their suspicions were soon validated. The woman had managed to nestle five diminutive snakes within the confines of her underwear.

The incident came to light when the Chinese Customs Department posted about the seizure on their official WeChat account on July 8. According to information from the South China Morning Post, the species of snake being smuggled were corn snakes. The young woman had individually wrapped each one in socks and hidden them in her bra.

Statistics from the China Pet Industry White Paper 2021 indicated that 5.8% of tens of millions of residents collected reptiles in China. Originating from the southeastern United States, corn snakes are becoming increasingly popular amongst reptile collectors in China, reported Sanook.

However, the law in China stipulates that any animal imported from a foreign country must be declared to authorities and undergo a complete quarantine process to prevent the potential harm they might cause to the ecosystem or the transmission of unusual diseases.

Following the release of this news, netizens in China expressed surprise at the woman’s unusual method of animal smuggling. One said…

“I wouldn’t even dare to touch it, let alone hide it in my underwear!”

The knack of the customs officials did not go unnoticed either.

“Impressive that customs can spot someone behaving oddly in a crowd.”

Last year, an Indian man was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on Tuesday for trying to smuggle 17 prohibited animals from Thailand to India.

The Director of Thailand’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Praset Sornsathapornkun, reported to the media that the 21 year old Indian man, Abilash Annadury, was arrested by the officers of the Suvarnabhumi Airport Wildlife Checkpoint. To read more click HERE.