BEIJING: Customs agents say they seized five King Cobras found at the John F. Kennedy International Mail Facility in Jamaica, New York. According to a news release, the snakes were found on June 29 during a scan of express mail sent from Hong Kong. Among the mail was a “plastic tray”; X-rays of the tray showed what appeared to be snakes inside.
Customs agents contacted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to examine the package. Inside, they found a Styrofoam casing with a row of holes and five young King Cobra snakes and three Geckos. Customs seized the packaged and turned it over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Our CBP officers perform numerous daily tasks to protect the United States from potential dangers. This seizure demonstrates our wide ranging responsibility in protecting our borders and our partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Leon Hayward, Acting Director of CBP’s New York Field Operations, in a statement.