A video released by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) captures the moment officers uncovered two live snakes inside a checked bag at Ontario International Airport in California during the month of October.
According to the TSA, the discovery was made in the course of a routine baggage inspection. X-ray imaging initially revealed what appeared to be a rope; however, upon closer examination, the object turned out to be two live snakes concealed within a pillowcase.
“When I realized the item in my hand was alive, I told myself, ‘I need to escalate this immediately,'” said TSA Officer Benjamin Andrade-Carillo, who first handled the pillowcase.
Officer Andrade-Carillo promptly alerted a supervisor, who proceeded to conduct a further inspection of the pillowcase. Supervisory TSA Officer Suggey Flores reported that he could feel the pillowcase tense up and begin to move in his hands.
“I have held snakes before, so I wasn’t too spooked,” Flores said. “I was more impressed, because it’s not something you see every day.”
Following the discovery, the TSA temporarily suspended screening operations in the surrounding area as a precautionary safety measure.
“Safety was a concern because we didn’t know what kind of snakes they were,” Flores said. “They could have been venomous.”
Airport police took custody of the bag and transported it to the airline ticketing area, where the passenger removed the snakes and handed them over to a non-traveling family member, according to the TSA. Once the snakes had been removed, the bag was rescreened and the passenger was subsequently cleared for travel.
The Los Angeles TSA Coordination Center reported that the passenger identified the snakes as personal pets and stated that he had previously traveled with them on a different airline.
“In my two years of service, I had not found anything like this,” Andrade-Carillo said. “In San Diego, I experienced a gentleman trying to bring live lobsters as a carry-on.”
The TSA strongly advises all travelers to contact their airline prior to traveling with pets in order to gain a clear understanding of the carrier’s specific rules and requirements.
