Smuggling attempt foiled at Mumbai airport
Customs officials at Mumbai Airport stopped a man on June 27 after he acted suspiciously, only to find 16 exotic snakes hidden in his luggage.
The snakes—including albino milk snakes and rhinoceros rat snakes—were packed inside chocolate boxes and wrapped in old clothes.
The man, Goodman Linford Leo, was taken into custody right away.
Leo didn't have proper paperwork for the snakes
Leo had stashed the snakes in 15 cloth pouches tied up with thread and rubber bands.
Even though these snake species aren't protected under major international wildlife laws, bringing them into India still needs proper paperwork—which Leo didn't have.
Authorities believe he planned to sell them on the gray market for profit, highlighting how tricky wildlife smuggling can be even when rare animals aren't officially endangered.