A California Man has been arrested for allegedly smuggling the three King Cobras from Hong Kong to the United States. He was hiding them in the canister of potato chips, reported by CNN. Two cobras are in the care of San Diego Zoo, but the third one died of unknown reason, according to the federal officials.
The special Agent of Wildlife Service, Stephanie Johnson said that when the agricultural specialists opened the canisters, the snake was passive and was not attacking, reported by NPR.
Franco imported and exported the reptiles
He was inspected by the United States Customs and Border Protection and was taken into the custody after finding him guilty.
34-years-old Rodrigo Franco's first hearing at the court was fixed on Tuesday in Los Angeles for alleged shipment of three 2-foots king cobra from Hong Kong to the US in March, prosecutors said. The authorities claimed that along with snakes there was also three Chinese albinoes soft-shelled turtle. His next arraigned is scheduled in August.
The Cobras were removed by the federal agents, and the turtles were delivered to Rodrigo's home in Monterey Park. King cobra is the longest poisonous and deadly snake on the earth. It can kill 20 people with one bite, and its bite causes death in only 30 minutes.
Later, a search warrant was issued by the agents to raid the suspect house. They found a baby crocodile of Morelet, five diamond back terrapins, a snapping turtle, and alligator snapping turtles.
The prosecutors said all the reptiles are protected according to the affidavit, received from Franco.
The import or export of the king cobra is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and they are protected under the Endangered Species Act (EPA).
Franco would face 20 years in prison
According to the affidavit, Rodrigo also shipped six turtles, 3-toed box turtles, desert box turtles and ornate box turtles from the US to Hong Kong but the US Fish and Wildlife Sevice intercepted that shipment, reported by CNN. He also admitted that before he received 20 died king cobras in two other cargoes.
Franco's phone was also checked by the federal agents, and they found that he made contact with one person in Asia about sending snakes and turtles between Hong Kong and the United States. It was known through the text messages that he planned to send the live cobras to his relative in Virginia, reported by CNN. The court would sentence him 20 years of imprisonment if found guilty.
