German customs officers have intercepted a Mexican traveller whose luggage was stuffed with dozens of live reptiles.
The 45-year-old was stopped in September at Cologne airport after officers noticed he was nervous at the exit for passengers with nothing to declare. He was tested for drugs and the result was positive for cocaine.
When officers opened his suitcase, officials said they found no drugs, but about 90 reptiles crammed into shampoo bottles, cream containers, plastic boxes and socks.
The haul included 37 venomous snakes, among them vipers and rattlesnakes, and 55 lizards including iguanas.
Customs spokesman Jens Ahland said, “My colleagues at the airport are used to all sorts of travel souvenirs in suitcases, but we’ve never had 37 venomous snakes and 55 lizards from Mexico before.”
He added, “It’s distressing to see what some people do to animals out of sheer greed for profit.”
About 30 of the animals died during the trip from Mexico City via Istanbul, while the rest were alive but some were in inhumane conditions.
The man, described as a firefighter and not named by authorities, claimed he was transporting the animals as a favour for a Brazilian acquaintance.
He was denied entry to Germany and put on a flight back to Istanbul the following day. The surviving animals are now being cared for at a snake farm in central Germany.
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