JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION (Atlanta, Georgia) 18 September 07 Passenger to pay $800 penalty for bringing snakes onto flight (Jim Tharpe)
A man who tried to bring 30 dead snakes into the country aboard an Atlanta-bound airliner last month could soon be $800 poorer.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department has issued two citations against the man, one for failing to declare the unusual cargo and another for violating laws intended to protect endangered species.
TSA screeners found 30 snakes, a dead bird and birds parts in the luggage of a Korean Air passenger arriving at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport last month.
The snakes, along with several birds and bird parts, were in boxes checked as luggage by a Korean Air passenger who arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Aug. 15. Many of the snakes were in bottles of a wine-like liquid.
"They're typically used in traditional Chinese or Asian medicine," said Darwin Huggins, Fish and Wildlife agent in charge of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
"Some of the snakes had scorpions in their mouths. And they were preserved in wine. It's a medicinal type wine that certain cultures drink."
Huggins said the man, who has name has not been released, has been contacted at his home in Florida and is aware of the citations. However, Huggins said the man is currently traveling and has not been served with the paperwork associated with the violations.
"He can pay the collateral amount on the two citations and not appear in court," Huggins said. "Or he can appear in court to challenge the charge."
The snakes were discovered by security officers at Hartsfield-Jackson in the man's luggage after he arrived from South Korea. He'd begun his journey in Vietnam, Huggins said.
Although the animals were dead, startled screeners still took extra precautions with the reptiles, said Jon Allen, spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.
The snakes were packed inside jars and bottles. U.S. Fish and Wildlife "warned us some of them probably still contained venom, " Allen said.
Passenger to pay $800 penalty for bringing snakes onto flight