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Snakes (almost) on a plane!
On April 26, a traveler at Miami International Airport was passing through a security checkpoint when officers found a bag in his pants stuffed with snakes, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Photos posted by TSA on X, formerly known as Twitter, show two small, pink snakes slithering around next to a green camouflage bag with white packaging material around it.
“@TSA called our @CBPSoutheast and Miami-Dade Police partners in to assist, and the snakes were turned over to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,” a TSA spokesperson wrote on X.
Officers at @iflymia detected this bag of snakes hidden in a passenger’s pants at a checkpoint on Fri, April 26. @TSA called our @CBPSoutheast and Miami-Dade Police partners in to assist, and the snakes were turned over to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. pic.twitter.com/CggJob8IT8
— TSA_Gulf (@TSA_Gulf) April 30, 2024
It’s unclear where the passenger, who has yet to be identified, was headed and whether he was arrested. New Times has reached out to TSA for more information on the incident, including whether the snakes were pets or being transported for commercial purposes.
South Florida airports, specifically Miami International Airport, have long been a hotbed of animal-smuggling activity. For decades, airport officials have struggled to keep up with the influx of smuggled wildlife and animal products.
New Times has covered several such cases over the years. For instance, back in 2011, TSA at Miami airport found seven small snakes wrapped in women’s hosiery stuffed inside a man’s pants. The man was arrested, and the animals were turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In 2022, an exotic bird smuggling operation at Miami airport was thwarted after Customs and Border Protection heard a faint chirping sound coming from a passenger’s bag. Officials found a lunchbox-style container equipped with a thermometer and dozens of parrot eggs, several of which had already hatched.
The following year, a woman was busted while trying to sneak into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport with spiny black sea cucumbers concealed in her luggage.
