Passenger caught with 20 snakes in hand luggage

Employees of an airport in Moscow have detected twenty snakes when checking the hand luggage of a passenger. The man had packed the animals in boxes and put them in a small travel bag before taking the plane in Düsseldorf.

When he arrived in Russia, the man said he had bought the non-venomous snakes on a market in Germany. However, he did not have the required documents. The reptiles were placed in quarantine.

Incorporating snakes into hand baggage is in principle not illegal, says a spokesperson for the German police. But they must be accompanied by the necessary documents. In Russia, the authorities request additional certificates, including from veterinarians.