Snakes, not snacks: deadly cobras smuggled from Hong Kong to California in potato chip cans
In a classic practical joke, the prankster offers their target a can of snacks - only for a fake spring-loaded snake to burst out of the tin.
But US Customs officers discovered the real thing this year while inspecting a package on its way from Hong Kong to a California apartment: three highly venomous king cobra snakes, each about 60cm long, hidden in potato chip cans.
On Tuesday, the alleged intended recipient — Rodrigo Franco, 34, of Monterey Park — was arrested on a federal smuggling charge after a months-long investigation that also involved the seizure of a young crocodile, three alligator snapping turtles and five diamond back terrapins, all of which are protected species, federal officials said.
For months, according to federal court records, Franco used WhatsApp, a smartphone messaging platform, to negotiate shipments of snakes and turtles to and from Hong Kong.
A day later, a postal worker delivered the package with the turtles shipped from Hong Kong to Franco’s Monterey Park home. Authorities had removed the cobras from the package, noting that delivering them posed a safety risk.
After the package was accepted, federal agents approached with a warrant to search the home. Inside a children’s bedroom, they found a glass tank with the crocodile, along with tanks containing endangered turtles.
Franco told authorities that he had previously received two other packages with 20 king cobras, all of which, he said, had died in transit.
Franco was charged with one count of illegally importing merchandise into the United States, which carries a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. He is scheduled to be arraigned in August.
Officials said two of the cobras seized in March are receiving care at the San Diego Zoo, while the third died for unknown reasons.