According to officials, at Chennai Airport, customs agents confiscated 22 snakes of different species and a chameleon from the luggage of a passenger who arrived in India from Kuala Lumpur.

India’s Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs shared images and video clips on social media that depicted multiple large snakes crammed into see-through plastic containers, which seemed to have been fastened with duct tape.

During a routine customs check at Chennai Airport, officials found the animals inside the passenger’s luggage. The individual, identified only as a woman by the officials, had transported the snakes and chameleon from Malaysia to Chennai in her checked baggage, as reported by the Indian Express.

The reptiles were confiscated by authorities under India’s Wildlife Protection Act, which aims to safeguard wild animals, birds, and plants, with the objective of ensuring the country’s ecological and environmental security.

Officials stated that the discovery at Chennai Airport was not the first of its kind. In January, customs agents intercepted a passenger with 45 ball pythons, three marmosets, three star tortoises, and eight corn snakes in their luggage. The reptiles were returned to Bangkok, as reported by the Indian Express.