Mumbai Customs Intercept 16 Live Snakes from Thailand in Third Bust This Month

On June 30, 2025, Indian customs officers in Mumbai stopped a traveler arriving from Thailand carrying 16 live snakes, including garter snakes, a rhino rat snake, and a Kenyan sand boa. This marked the third wildlife smuggling bust via that route this month. Earlier in June, customs officials seized venomous vipers from another passenger, and later apprehended someone smuggling 100 animals such as lizards, sunbirds, and possums. Over the past 3½ years, more than 7,000 animals have been intercepted on flights between Thailand and India—a worrying trend driven by demand in the exotic pet trade