Man Hiding 52 Live Reptiles Under His Clothes Gets Caught At Border Crossing

U.S. border agents in California caught a man trying to smuggle 52 live reptiles by hiding them inside his clothing.

The 30-year-old male U.S. citizen was driving a 2018 GMC truck and arrived at the San Ysidro border crossing on Feb. 25, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statement released Tuesday.

CBP officers conducted a personal search of the driver and found 52 live reptiles tied up in small bags. Some of the animals, identified as 43 horned lizards and nine snakes, are considered endangered, according to AP News.

Authorities said the driver tried to conceal the reptiles in his jacket, pant pockets and groin area, NBC Chicago reported.

“Smugglers will try every possible way to try and get their product, or in this case live reptiles, across the border,” said Sidney Aki, CBP Director of Field Operations in San Diego, according to the statement. “In this occasion, the smuggler attempted to deceive CBP officers in order to bring these animals into the U.S., without taking care for the health and safety of the animals. CBP enforces hundreds of laws at the border for more than 40 different government agencies, in part to help stop smuggling attempts like these which can lead to trafficking of possibly endangered species.”

The man was arrested for attempted smuggling and handed over to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigators (HSI) and Fish and Wildlife Services (F&WS). He was later booked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

The reptiles as well as the vehicle were seized by CBP officers. The animals were placed in a safe and secure area and will remain in quarantine as some of them are being identified as endangered, the statement said.

“This seizure is the direct result of a coordinated investigative effort by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and Customs and Border Protection,” said Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge for HSI San Diego, in the statement. “HSI will continue to aggressively investigate individuals who are involved in the unlawful smuggling and trafficking of endangered wildlife for their own financial gain.”