Man charged for smuggling three pythons in his pants across Canada-US border

Oct 17 2022, 9:57 pm

It’s common to read headlines about people smuggling drugs across country lines, but what about snakes?

A New York City man has been charged with smuggling three Burmese pythons into the US from Canada.

According to a news release from the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Calvin Bautista ā€” who hails from Richmond Hill ā€” smuggled the snakes in his pants as he rode on a bus that crossed at the Champlainā€“St. Bernard de Lacolle border crossing in Quebec.

Fun fact ā€” the Burmese python is one of the largest species of snake in the world.

It isn’t disclosed at what stage of life the reptiles were in, but the act definitely seems more dangerous than having ants in your pants.

Bautista was charged in early October, but the incident occurred in 2018.

The DOJ states that he remains innocent until proven guilty.

Under US law, smuggling exotic animals into the country is a criminal offence.

If Bautista is found guilty, he could receive a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years, according to the DOJ.

This isn’t the first time exotic creatures have crossed the Canadian border.

In 2019, a Canadian man was fined $15,000 for smuggling almost 5,000 leeches in a carry-on bag.

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