Chinese man tries to smuggle 100 snakes in his pants

A man has been caught trying to smuggle more than 100 live snakes into mainland China by stuffing them into his pants, according to China’s General Administration of Customs.

The unnamed traveler was stopped by customs officials as he tried to sneak out of Hong Kong to the border city of Shenzhen, Chinese customs said in a statement on Tuesday.

When the customs officers checked, they found that the pockets of the passenger’s trousers were filled with six canvas drawstring bags and sealed with tape.

The statement added: “Upon opening, each bag was found to contain live snakes of various shapes, sizes and colours.”

Police seized 104 scaly reptiles, including milk snakes and corn snakes, many of which were non-native species, the statement said.

The accompanying video shows two border agents looking through a clear plastic bag filled with wriggling red, pink and white snakes.

China is one of the world’s largest hubs for animal trafficking, but authorities have stepped up efforts in recent years to crack down on the illegal trade.

The country’s biosecurity and disease control laws prohibit people from introducing non-native species without permission.

Customs authorities said: “Those who violate the regulations … will be held accountable according to the law,” but did not specify the man’s punishment.