A man was arrested for smuggling three live cobra snakes hidden inside potato chip cans Tuesday.
U.S. prosecutors stated that Rodrigo Franco, 34, was arrested after customs officers intercepted the potato chip boxes, which an unmentioned individual mailed to Franco’s Los Angeles home from Hong Kong. He is charged with illegally importing merchandise to the United States, according to the Associated Press.
Three albino Chinese soft-shelled turtles were also found in the package, according to authorities. Those were delivered to his house.
Federal agents obtained a search warrant for the man’s home, where they found tanks with a live baby crocodile, alligator snapping turtles, and five diamond black terrapins. However, prosecutors state that those animals are protected under U.S. law.
Franco also stated that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service previously found 20 king cobras in two other shipments, however, they all died during delivery.
Franco can face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
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