Queens man caught smuggling snakes in bags attached to pants

By WNYT

A Queens man tried to smuggle snakes into the country by hiding them in bags attached to his pants.

Calvin Bautista, 38, attempted to bring three Burmese pythons into the United States at the U.S.-Canadian border crossing at the Champlain Port of Entry in Clinton County, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The incident took place on July 15, 2018.

Customs and Border Protection officers discovered the snakes when reviewing Baustista’s passport and conducting a search.

Bautista did not have the proper documentation for the snakes. They are not native to North America and are considered an invasive species.

Bautista was sentenced in federal court on Wednesday to probation and fined $5,000.