Snakes On A Plane: Wildlife Expert Cops To Smuggling 7 In Jacket

Tyler, TX – Sick of these motherf***ing snakes on this motherf***ing plane stories? We’ve got one more for you. A Texas snake expert has admitted to smuggling seven snakes onto a plane by hiding them in his jacket. He was nabbed in August at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

William Lamar, 63, was caught trying to smuggle Peruvian snakes into the United States last year. He bought them at a market in Lima, Peru, and hid them in his jacket during his flight to Miami and then to DFW, where he was caught by a TSA officer while trying to catch a commuter flight to Tyler.

Lamar is a snake and wildlife expert, and co-owns the Colorado-based ecotourism company Green Tracks. His biography on the website also states that he is a reptile researcher employed by the University of Texas at Tyler, which the school confirmed Tuesday.

He was said to be an adjunct professor, but the spokesperson did not reveal Lamar’s current status with the school to NBC. It might be that his “snakes on a plane” antics at least cost him his job there.

Lamar is also known for three books he has written on snakes and reptiles. He has spoken at an event for the Austin Herpetological Society and various other field-specific engagements.

U.S. Attorney John M. Bates said that Lamar stated that he knew he was breaking the law by smuggling snakes in his jacket without authorization.

If convicted, Lamar could face five years in prison, according to the US Attorney’s office. A sentencing date hasn’t been set, and Lamar was unavailable for comment.

[Image via: Chokniti Khongchum / Shutterstock]