Man stopped at Bonn airport with more than 90 snakes and lizards in his suitcase

Customs officers at Bonn airport in Germany stopped a 45-year-old Mexican national who was trying to bring in more than 90 live reptiles in his luggage, BBC reports. The man is a firefighter by profession. After the animals were found, he was refused entry to Germany and returned to Istanbul.

Nervous behaviour raised suspicion

Customs officials said the man looked strikingly nervous as he walked through the green channel, the lane for travellers with nothing to declare. Before his suitcase was inspected he was given a drug test, which came back positive for cocaine. No drugs were found in the bag, but officers discovered vipers, rattlesnakes and other species of snakes and lizards, including iguanas. The animals were hidden in shampoo and cream bottles, plastic containers and balled-up socks.

Condition of the animals

Customs spokesman Jens Aland said airport staff are used to a lot when it comes to souvenirs in suitcases, but they had never before seen 37 live venomous snakes and 55 lizards from Mexico. According to Aland, some of the animals were kept in inhumane conditions, while others died during the journey from Mexico City via Istanbul.

The man's explanation

The man, whose name has not been disclosed, told officers he had brought the animals back as a favour for an acquaintance in Brazil. The surviving animals are now being cared for at a snake farm in Germany.