A passenger was stopped at Miami International Airport after multiple snakes were found in his pants, security officials said.
Images released by the Transportation Security Administration show two pink snakes that were removed from a small camouflage pouch TSA officers said they found on the passenger. What appeared to be packing material had apparently spilled out onto a counter as the reptiles were removed.
TSA Gulf said on X that officers called Customs and Border Protection to report the issue and Miami-Dade law enforcement entities were called in to help. The snakes were turned over to Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the TSA said.
The Miami New Times said the passenger still had not been identified by Thursday, and the TSA didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry by Scripps News for further details.
Miami has been identified as a hotspot for illegal wildlife trafficking. The Miami Herald published a report on efforts to combat the problem among the 50 million passengers who pass through the airport each year. U.S. officials see North America as a “crucial destination, transit and source” hub for wildlife trafficking.
Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission tracks wildlife trafficking attempts. In one significant case in 2020, officials with the agency said they made the first in a series of arrests when a group was charged with various elements of organized crime in an “elaborate enterprise” to smuggle wildlife in Florida to other U.S. states and internationally.