Customs officers at Germany’s Cologne Bonn Airport were stunned when a routine inspection of a passenger arriving from Mexico uncovered dozens of venomous reptiles hidden in his suitcase.
The 45-year-old Mexican firefighter aroused suspicion after appearing unusually nervous and tense. Officers suspected he might be smuggling drugs or other prohibited substances and stopped him for a routine check, during which he tested positive for cocaine. But the real shock came when they asked him to open his suitcase.
Inside, they found 37 live venomous snakes and 55 lizards, concealed in shampoo and cosmetics bottles, plastic containers, socks and rolled-up clothing. The man claimed he was transporting the dangerous reptiles as a favor for a friend in Brazil.
Jens Ahlend, a spokesman for Cologne Airport Customs, said: “My colleagues at the airport are used to seeing all kinds of souvenirs in passengers’ luggage, but we have never encountered a case involving 37 live venomous snakes and another 55 lizards arriving from Mexico."
Some of the animals had been kept in inhumane conditions, while others died during the journey from Mexico City via Istanbul, he said.
Last year, German customs authorities carried out more than 1,300 seizures nationwide involving over 56,600 protected animals and plants, or products derived from them, Ahlend added.
The Mexican passenger, whose name was not released, was sent back to Istanbul and barred from entering Germany.