No prison for man caught with three pythons in his pants at US-Canada border
A man who was caught at the US-Canada border trying to smuggle three Burmese pythons in his pants will not face prison time.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Calvin Bautista, age 38, of Richmond Hill, New York, was sentenced to one year of probation and will have to pay a fine of $5,000.
Under US law, smuggling exotic animals into the country is a criminal offence with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and supervised release of up to three years, according to the DOJ.
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Bautista boarded a US-bound bus in Montreal, Quebec, on July 15, 2018, with the three pythons in his pants. The bus crossed the US-Canada border at the Champlain Port of Entry in Clinton County, New York, where authorities discovered the pythons.
“Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers discovered the snakes while reviewing Bautista’s passport and conducting a border search,” reads the statement. “The young adult snakes were in snake bags attached to Bautista’s pants near his inner thigh.”
Bautista didn’t have the permits or documents to import the snakes into the US. He was then charged in October 2022 for smuggling the snakes.
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The Burmese python is one of the largest species of snakes in the world and is considered invasive. Adults can grow to 10 to 16 feet in length and are non-venomous, according to the Florida Museum. Although the smaller pythons aren’t considered dangerous to people or pets, larger ones can cause “severe lacerations” with their sharp teeth and can eat dogs and cats.