Customs uncover 1.4 tons of snakes

Customs uncover 1.4 tons of snakes

VIETNAM: Customs officials at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport discovered 1.4 tons of snakes smuggled into Vietnam aboard a Singapore Airlines flight from Indonesia, state media said on Tuesday.

The consignment was registered as frozen fish, but on opening the 87 boxes on Friday customs officers found a potent, writhing mass of serpents, many of which had died en route.

The shipment was addressed to a company in Haiphong but it has not stepped forward to take delivery of the cargo, the Cong An Nhan Dan (People's Police) newspaper said. An investigation is under way into the case.

Snake meat is a delicacy in Vietnam and snake blood is considered an aphrodisiac. --AFP