Snake smuggler fined $400

The Brazillian man gave "snakes on a plane" a whole new meaning when he attempted to smuggle seven baby pythons through security at the Miami International Airport pleaded guilty in court Wednesday.

Simon Turola Borges was fined $400 for attempting to smuggle the snakes, all hatchlings, along with baby tortoises, in his underwear through the airport. He wanted to get them back to Brazil. He will also be deported reports the Miami Herald.  

After Borges tried walking through a body scanner before boarding his flight to Brazil, he was pulled aside for a further search. He initially denied hiding anything his pants reports Reuters.

When they asked him to remove all items from his pockets, he removed two baby pythons tightly wrapped in nylon pantyhose.

Next TSA asked him to remove everything from his groin area.

Reuters reports:

"Borges pulled his underwear away from his body and removed two nylon pantyhose containing numerous snakes and tortoises," the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida added in the statement.

The seized live animals, all hatchlings just weeks old, consisted of three Ball Pythons, three Carpet Pythons, one Children's Python, one Indian Star Tortoise and two Leopard Tortoises, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.

This is not the first time someone has attempted to smuggle snakes onto a plane. In October 2009, A Norwegian man attempted to bring 14 royal pythons and 10 albino geckos by taping them onto his person. In 2005, a woman attempted to bring 75 squirmy baby snakes in her bra on board a flight. Stockholm airport security became suspicious when she kept scratching her bra. 

Borges' fine will be paid to the Miami Science Museum for reptile preservation programs.