US man arrested for hiding 43 horned lizards & 9 snakes in his clothing

In one of the most shocking airport incidents, border authorities in the US recently discovered a man trying to enter the country with 52 live reptiles hidden in his bag under his clothes. Yes, you heard that right! The man was carrying around 43 horned lizards and 9 snakes concealed in small bags. The man arrived at the San Ysidro border crossing with Mexico on February 25. US Customs and Border Protection revealed this news in a press release. He was driving a truck that customs officials pulled up for further inspection.

According to reports in NDTV, US Customs and Border Protection revealed that the incident occurred at about 3 AM on February 25. This came into notice when CBP authorities discovered 52 live reptiles hidden in the man's jacket, pants pockets, and groin area. "Smugglers will try every possible way to try and get their product, or in this case live reptiles, across the border," said Sidney Aki, CBP Director of Field Operations in San Diego. "In this occasion, the smuggler attempted to deceive CBP officers in order to bring these animals into the US., without taking care of the health and safety of the animals." Some of the species are considered endangered, authorities said. Hence it was considered a bigger crime.

The 30-year-old US man was arrested on the spot for smuggling live reptiles while his vehicles and all the reptiles were seized. He was later transported and booked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center.