More than Ants in his pants
Calvin Bautista has been charged with smuggling three Burmese pythons into the US in his pants at a U.S-Canadian border crossing. Calvin is accused of bringing the hidden snakes on a bus that crossed into northern New York. Importation of Burmese pythons is regulated by an international treaty and by federal regulations listing them as “injurious to human beings.” The charge carries the potential for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine as high as $250,000, according to federal prosecutors. The Burmese python, one of the world’s largest snakes, is considered a vulnerable species in its native Asia and is invasive in Florida, where it threatens native animals. Most of the pythons being hunted in the Florida Python Challenge were pets that people turned loose because they did not want to care for them anymore.
Calvin is not the only one with snakes in his pants. Jose Manuel Perez, 30, from Oxnard, CA on Wednesday was convicted in federal court of two counts of smuggling goods and one count of wildlife trafficking. Perez faces up to 45 years in prison when he is sentenced. Perez was arrested as he tried to cross the border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. During a search, border agents discovered 60 bearded lizards, baby crocodiles and snakes hidden in his jacket and pants. Jose is accused of smuggling more than 1,700 reptiles – including baby crocodiles and Mexican beaded lizards – into the US since 2016, authorities said Thursday. Some of the smuggled reptiles were protected and endangered species, authorities said. Beginning January 2016, Perez and his sister, as well as others, are accused of using social media to buy and sell wildlife in the US. The animals were allegedly imported from Mexico and Hong Kong without permits. Border patrol agents found about 60 lizards and snakes tied up in small bags, “which were concealed in the man’s jacket, pants pockets, and groin area,” authorities said last month. Perez initially told the agents the animals were his pets, three of them had died in transit. Prosecutors estimated the total market value of the wildlife at more than $739,000.
Don’t think you only have to check wiggly pants: Several live lizards were wrongly delivered in a box to a residence in a village north of New York City. Needless to say the addressee was quite startled when they opened the box and called Port Chester police. The responding police caught all the reptiles, including iguanas, and secured them “until a local animal sanctuary can pick them up for safekeeping.” They posted a picture on Sunday of three dark-colored lizards held in a large white container. It was not immediately clear where the other reptiles that were not pictured. “If you lost your lizards and iguanas we have them at the police department,” police wrote on their website.
Smuggling in some Humor
What’s worse than a box full of snakes?
A box that was SUPPOSED to be full of snakes.
I never understood why people are so scared of snakes
They’re completely unarmed.
Scientists here in California have discovered a rare species of legless lizards. Now don’t confuse that with spineless snakes; those are called politicians. That’s totally different.
“Y’know with all the civil unrest, political corruption, class divides, drug smuggling, gang wars, police brutality, gun violence, and poor education maybe building a wall to protect us from our southern neighbors isn’t such a bad idea.” – Justin Trudeau
October 7th Birthdays
1986 – Holland Roden, 1974 – Allison Munn, 1997 – Kira Kosarin, 1991 – Ayla Kell
1956 – Yo Yo Ma, 1959 – Simon Cowell, 1931 – Bishop Desmond Tutu, 1943 – Oliver North