Exotic Animal Smugglers at our Border

How CBP Caught a Wildlife Smuggler at the Laredo Border Crossing

On March 5, CBP officers at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo ran outbound operations on a 2021 Peterbilt tractor headed into Mexico.

The driver gave a negative declaration for prohibited goods. Officers searched the truck anyway. Inside, they found 39 pythons – each one sealed in its own fabric bag, alive but in poor condition from the transport.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents took custody of the snakes and moved them to a controlled environment.

CBP seized the tractor and trailer. The driver was hit with $34,824 in export violation penalties.

Reptiles account for roughly 70% of all exotic pet seizures at U.S. ports of entry, and CBP's Hidalgo port director said flatly that exotic pet smuggling is on the rise in South Texas.

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