Man Held At Mumbai Airport For Smuggling 16 Exotic Snakes Hidden in Chocolate Boxes
Customs at Mumbai airport caught a man smuggling 16 exotic snakes from Thailand. The snakes were hidden in pouches among chocolates.
Customs officials at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport have apprehended a man trying to smuggle 16 exotic snakes from Thailand.
The accused, identified as Goodman Linford Leo, a Tamil Nadu resident, was caught red-handed by Mumbai Airport Customs on June 27. Officials got suspicious due to Leo's uncanny movement, and his check-in baggage was scanned.
Upon scanning, the airport officials found five Albino Honduran milk snakes, two garter snakes, two Kenyan sand boas, a coastal banded California king snake, five rhinoceros rat snakes and an albino rat snake. Wildlife Crime Control Bureau identified the snakes that were concealed in 15 white pouches and camouflaged among chocolates.
Notably, this is the third such seizure this month.
Earlier this month, Mumbai Customs officials at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) held a passenger attempting to smuggle 52 live reptiles. This passenger arrived from Bangkok on Thai Airways flight TG317. He was flagged by the officials due to unusual behaviour and intelligence. Upon scanning his baggage, the officials were shocked to find 52 live reptiles.
Among them were three Spider-Tailed Horned Vipers, a rare desert snake species. The officers also found five Asian Leaf Turtles, a species native to Southeast Asia and frequently targeted in the exotic pet trade. Additionally, 44 Indonesian Pit Vipers were also found.
Customs officers informed the concerned authorities. The Spider-Tailed Horned Viper and Asian Leaf Turtle are listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
The passenger was arrested under relevant sections of the Customs Act, 1962.
Another reptile smuggling racket was busted at Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar. Customs officials seized a variety of exotic species, including Californian king snakes, monitor lizards, chameleons and tortoises from a man who was on his way to Chennai from Hong Kong.
First Published:
June 30, 2025, 13:10 IST
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Time of India
Two women arrested in Mumbai for smuggling drugs worth Rs 16 crore
Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Customs arrested two women, including a Nigerian national, for smuggling cocaine and marijuana worth Rs 16 crore. In the first case, the DRI intercepted Florence Ochieng, a Nigerian national, who arrived from Nairobi at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Tuesday. A search of her baggage did not yield any recovery; however, as the information was very accurate, the officials detained her. After taking the court's permission, she was admitted to J J Hospital, where she purged three capsules containing around 219gm of cocaine. She was arrested under the NDPS Act. In the other case, a Malvani resident, Rukshar Sayyed, was caught by the Air Intelligence Unit of Customs after she arrived from Sri Lanka. A search of her baggage resulted in the recovery of 15kg of marijuana worth Rs 15 crore, hidden inside 21 shirts. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Narco dog helps cops seize 30 kg ganja on train, three held in Vijayawada
Vijayawada: A well-coordinated joint operation by the (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) led to the seizure of 30 kilograms of dry ganja, valued at Rs 1.55 lakh, at Vijayawada Railway Station. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The operation was notably aided by Narco dog 'Leo', whose sharp instincts and specialized training proved instrumental in the detection. The seizure took place aboard the Shalimar–Chennai Coromandel Express during a routine inspection led by the crime intelligence branch (CIB), RPF dog squad, and GRP Vijayawada. While checking the train, Narco dog Leo signaled three suspicious bags located near three women passengers. Acting on the alert, the team recovered seven packets of dry ganja concealed in the luggage of the women, later identified as Sushanti, Manisha, and Pushpalatha. Preliminary interrogation revealed that the trio had boarded the train in Visakhapatnam after traveling from Nabarangpur, Odisha. The contraband was allegedly handed over to them by an individual named Bola in Visakhapatnam, with instructions to deliver it in Chennai. A case has been registered. The arrested individuals have been produced before the court, and the seized narcotics have been secured as case property.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Rs 6.4cr gold, weed seized at Mumbai airport
Mumbai: The Mumbai Customs arrested two persons, one of them an airport staffer, with gold dust and hydroponic weed worth Rs 6.41 crore in separate seizures at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, officials said on Tuesday. The Airport Commissionerate of the Mumbai Customs on Sunday intercepted two persons on suspicion, and found that one of them, a transit passenger, had allegedly handed over 1,510 gm of gold dust in wax, worth Rs 1.39 crore, to an airport staffer, an official said. The airport staffer admitted that he had collected four packs of 24 KT gold dust from a passenger, he said. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai In another seizure, a passenger who landed from Bangkok on Monday was apprehended with hydroponic weed worth Rs 5 crore, the official said. He said that the contraband was concealed in vacuum-sealed plastic packets kept inside the passenger's trolley bag. The traveller was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, he said. PTI
