CIBITUNG, West Java: Two people have been arrested for taking 130

CIBITUNG, West Java: Two people have been arrested for taking 130
poisonous snakes including cobras onto a bus in Indonesia, police
said Thursday.

The man and woman were arrested Wednesday after police saw
them carrying several rucksacks and boxes after they got off the
bus at Cibitung in West Java, said a policeman on duty in the
nearby town of Bekasi.

Inside the sacks and boxes police found at least 100 cobras --
some two meters (6.6 feet) long -- as well as 30 other poisonous
snakes, said the officer.

He said the couple claimed they intended to sell the snakes to
restaurants. They were detained for endangering bus passengers
and the snakes had been secured inside a box at the police
station.

"None of my colleagues are going anywhere near the area," said
the officer, who declined to be identified.

Many restaurants in Indonesia sell snake blood and meat for
its supposed health-giving properties. -- AFP