3 days ago
Smuggler with bag full of venomous viper snakes stopped by India customs
A checked bag filled with creatures from your nightmares was stopped by international customs in Mumbai over the weekend, leading to an arrest.
Mumbai Customs officers said they seized a checked bag on Sunday from a passenger arriving from Thailand.
A closer inspection of the bag revealed three spider-tailed horned viper snakes, five Asian leaf turtles and 44 Indonesian pit viper snakes.
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"An Indian national arriving from Thailand was arrested," Mumbai Customs wrote.
Photos show the smuggled reptiles after the discovery, including a tray full of turtles and a bucket of venomous blue and green snakes.
According to Australian Geographic, pit vipers can be found in blue and green on the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia. Blue pit vipers are some of the rarest of their species, according to the outlet.
This isn't the first – or last – walk on the wild side for customs officers in India.
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Photos of most seizures by Mumbai customs show mostly drugs and gold, but in February, officers also stopped the smuggling of five Siamang Gibbons. The monkeys are an endangered species, according to the International Union for Conservation of article source: Smuggler with bag full of venomous viper snakes stopped by India customs
