16 live snakes found in passenger's belongings, seized at Mumbai airport

MUMBAI (WJW) – Airport authorities in India are investigating a passenger who was found to be smuggling more than a dozen snakes through the country's capital.

Mumbai Customs officials took to social media on Sunday, announcing that they thwarted "yet another wildlife smuggling attempt" at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

In the post, investigators said a passenger was found with 16 live snakes in his luggage, including garter snakes, rhino rat snakes, albino rat snakes, Kenyan sand boas and California kingsnakes.

The passenger, who officials said was returning from Thailand, was arrested. The snakes were confiscated.

According to reports from CBS News, these snakes are often involved in the pet trade because they are mostly non-venomous or have weak venom that doesn't harm humans.

It's also not entirely rare for officials to catch perpetrators attempting to smuggle the snakes in their pants.

In May of 2024, a traveler was also stopped by TSA agents at the Miami International Airport for trying to sneak a bag of snakes through security in his pants. And a few months later, Nexstar's WJW reported that customs agents in China arrested a passenger reportedly caught with more than 100 live snakes in his pants at the border of China and Hong Kong.