Man caught smuggling over 100 snakes in his trousers in China

A man has been apprehended attempting to smuggle over 100 live snakes into mainland China by concealing them in his trousers, according to the country’s customs authority.

The unnamed traveller was stopped by customs officers while trying to cross from semi-autonomous Hong Kong into the border city of Shenzhen.

"Upon inspection, customs officers discovered that the pockets of the trousers the passenger was wearing were packed with six canvas drawstring bags and sealed with tape," China Customs said in a statement on Tuesday.

Once opened, each bag contained living snakes of various shapes, sizes, and colours.

Officers seized 104 snakes, including milk snakes and corn snakes, many of which were non-native species.

An accompanying video showed border agents examining transparent plastic bags filled with squirming red, pink, and white snakes.

China, one of the world's largest animal trafficking hubs, has intensified its crackdown on illicit trade in recent years.

The country’s biosecurity and disease control laws forbid bringing in non-native species without permission.

"Those who break the rules will be held liable in accordance with the law," the customs authority stated, without specifying the man's punishment.