Lizards and frogs and snakes, oh my!
More than 160 creepy-crawlers — including tarantulas, centipedes, and two dozen pythons — were confiscated from a truck trying to cross the Texas border into Mexico amid a spike in exotic pet smuggling in the area, officials said.
A single silver Toyota truck attempting to cruise over the Anzalduas International Bridge in Texas on Oct. 22 somehow fit all 163 of the confiscated animals inside. The driver was arrested, but hasn’t been charged, according to US Customs and Border Protection.
The truck was packed to the brim with 45 different species of reptiles and arthropods. Many of the exotic beasts, including the staggering 24 Royal Pythons found inside, are relatively harmless if handled properly and typically sold as exotic pets.
In total, there were a whopping 28 different species of snakes, nine types of lizards, three bug and frog species, and a single tortoise seized during the attempted border crossing, according to the CBP.
Carlos Rodriguez, the port director who oversees the office in Hidalgo, Texas, said that there’s been an uptick in “the smuggling of exotic pets” in communities near the Texas-Mexico border.
“The smuggling of exotic pets has been on the rise in our area, and we work closely with our partners of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect and preserve these creatures and ensure that importations and exportations of wildlife adhere to all applicable federal requirements,” Rodriguez said in a statement.
The Post reached out to Rodriguez for further comment.
The reptiles and insects — including four centipedes — were remanded into the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s custody.
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