Related News
L.A. man accused of smuggling king cobras in potato chip cans
A Los Angeles man was arrested on Tuesday after federal prosecutors said he arranged to smuggle into the United States three live, highly venomous king cobra snakes hidden in potato chip canisters.
Rodrigo Franco, 34, was charged with illegally importing merchandise into the country in connection with a parcel from Hong Kong that was intercepted by US Customs and Border Protection agents on March 2 containing the 2-foot (0.61 meter)-long snakes concealed inside the canisters.
Three albino Chinese soft-shelled turtles were also found in the package, prosecutors said, adding that Franco on that same day mailed a box to Hong Kong with six protected turtles inside.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the case, Franco admitted during an interview with authorities that he had previously received a total of 20 king cobras in two prior shipments but that all of those snakes had died in transit.
He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted, although federal sentencing guidelines typically call for less time behind bars.
According to the National Geographic website, the king cobra, also known as Ophiophagus hannah, is the longest venomous snake, reaching up to 18 feet (5.5 meters) in length. When confronted, king cobras can raise up to one-third of their bodies off the ground, flare out their hoods and emit a "bone-chilling" hiss before attacking.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
- RSS
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证:沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证:31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证:0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证:沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证:沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.