DRI foils wildlife smuggling attempt at Mumbai airport; Exotic snakes discovered in biscuit packets

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai Zonal Unit, successfully intercepted an individual arriving from Bangkok at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on December 20, based on received intelligence.

Upon inspecting the passenger's check-in luggage, DRI officers discovered and seized 09 ball pythons (python regius) and 02 corn snakes (pantherophis guttatus) concealed inside biscuit and cake packets.

The seized snakes, identified by officials from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Western Region (WR), Navi Mumbai, were not indigenous and had been imported in violation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and import policy.

The Regional Deputy Director of WCCB, WR, issued a detention cum deportation order to repatriate these reptiles to Bangkok for their well-being. The exotic species, handed over to SpiceJet Airlines, resulted in the arrest of the carrier. The operation underscores the DRI's effectiveness in intelligence gathering and dismantling smuggling syndicates involved in the illegal trade of exotic flora and fauna.