A man has attempted to dash through customs with 14 snakes stuffed into his pockets, before he was rumbled by guards.
The unnamed man was attempting to get the 14 live snakes through the border between mainland China and Hong Kong, but appears to have been caught out.
His efforts at the Futian Port in Shenzhen, south-eastern China, saw him stuff the reptiles into his pockets and avoid eye contact with the Huanggang Customs agents.
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But his suspicious activity and lack of eye contact seems to have landed him in hot water, with the nervous bloke finding himself examined alongside his belongings.
Agents at Huanggang Customs, the Chinese side of the border, found 14 snakes wrapped up in cotton socks and stockings, which dropped out of his undergarments.
The bloke, dressed in black clothing and a white cap, was seen shuffling nervously and checking his pockets as agents discovered his collection of reptiles, Metro reported.
Upon discovery, the animals were placed into plastic containers by customs officials, who then handed them over to relevant authorities present at the border.
Three of the 14 snakes were ball pythons, also known as royal pythons, a "near threatened" species of snake listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List.
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The Red List animals were stuffed inside of the bloke's underwear, with the African snake species now in the hands of the authorities.
It is not yet known what the man who smuggled the snakes over the border has been charged with, or if any charges were presented to him for his smuggling operation.
Laws in China make it clear any animals transported in and out of the country must be inspected and quarantined before they can be legally released.
It means the 14 snakes unsuccessfully smuggled through the border would have been in need of a quarantine order and a subsequent inspection to check for diseases.
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