New York man charged with smuggling Burmese pythons into the US in his pants

Orlando Mayorquin, USA TODAY
·1 min read

Authorities arrested a New York man after he attempted to smuggle three Burmese pythons in his pants while crossing into the United States from Canada, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. 

The Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York alleges that Calvin Bautista, 36, from Queens, New York, smuggled the snakes in his pants while crossing into the U.S. on a bus at the Champlain Port of Entry in New York.

Custom and Border Protection officials noticed “visible bulges” in the man’s pants while inspecting a Greyhound bus on July 15, 2018, a CBP spokesperson told USA TODAY in a statement.

A python in a bag.
A python in a bag.

“Further inspection revealed python snakes concealed in fabric bags,” the statement read.

Bautista violated several federal codes, according to an indictment filed in August. He faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, a fine up to $250,000, as well as a 3-year term of supervised release if convicted, according to the DOJ.

Bautista was arraigned in federal court Tuesday.

Animal smugglers: California man pleads guilty to smuggling over 1,700 animals worth more than $739K into US

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NYC man tried to smuggle snakes into country in his pants

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