Czech Man’s Attempt to Smuggle 247 Animals on Plane Foiled

Authorities say a Czech man who attempted to smuggle over 200 live animals onto a plane bound for Madrid, Spain, could face up to 10 years in prison.

The man, identified as 51-year-old Karel Abelovsky from the Czech Republic, was caught in Buenos Aires, Argentina with a total of 247 creatures, ranging from mollusks to poisonous snakes to endangered reptiles, packed in clear plastic containers in his suitcase.

According to reports, the contents of the suitcase were revealed as baggage technicians noticed live movements inside the case during a standard X-ray check.

Two of the 247 animals were found dead and most of the others could have suffered the same fate due to a lack of oxygen if the suitcase had been placed in the plane’s cargo area.

Authorities suspect that an exotic species smuggling ring was behind the incident, which surprisingly isn’t the first of its kind this year.

Back in August, the Huffington Post reported that another man was foiled in his attempt to smuggle live turtles and snakes onto a flight out of Miami International Airport, by hiding them in his pants.

Perhaps each of these men were attempting to recreate Snakes on a Plane?