While the 2006 film Snakes On A Plane is a work of fiction as far as what the animals get up to onboard and why they are there is concerned, the basic premise of such reptiles finding themselves on an aircraft is more true to life than you might think. This was evidenced recently in India, after customs officials caught a passenger attempting to smuggle more than a dozen snakes back to Mumbai.
Naturally, this event’s vague parallels to the Samuel L Jackson action thriller film give the story a somewhat humorous edge, but they do also highlight a worrying trend in the form of wildlife smuggling in the world of modern commercial aviation. After all, this is far from the first time that snakes have, in one way or another, made their way onto an aircraft, with India being a particular hotspot on this front.
The passenger was arrested and an investigation is underway
Sunday, June 29th, 2025, began just like any other day for customs officers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) in the Indian city of Mumbai. However, their day would soon take an unlikely turn when a passenger arrived from Thailand with some 16 live snakes in their luggage. This reptilian haul, CBS News notes, included a coastal banded California king snake and a rhino rat snake.
Also present among the contraband were garter snakes and a Kenyan sand boa. Naturally, the Indian customs officials didn’t take too kindly to the passenger’s attempt to smuggle the reptiles across the Indian border, and they were promptly arrested with an investigation pending. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) of India issued a short statement online concerning the incident:
Customs officers at CSMI Airport, Mumbai Customs Zone-III foiled yet another wild life smuggling attempt. 16 live snakes (Garter, Rhino Rat, Albino Rat, Kenyan Sand Boa, CA King etc) [were] seized from a passenger returning from Thailand. [The] passenger [was] arrested, [and a] further investigation [is] underway.”
The snakes were not dangerous, but snake smuggling is on the rise
Further reporting by CBS News confirmed that the snakes that the passenger who got caught by customs officers at Mumbai Airport was attempting to smuggle were not dangerous, as the breeds in question are often sold as pets. Indeed, most were non-venomous, with those that do emit venom not being potent enough to impact humans as far as their health is concerned. Still, smuggling is a worrying trend.
Indeed, per CBS News, this weekend’s recent incident was the third time this month that customs officers have foiled a smuggling attempt at Mumbai Airport alone. The publication notes that the month got off to an eventful start when a passenger was caught trying to bring dozens of venomous vipers back from Thailand, with another guest carrying 100 creatures of various kinds being stopped just days later.
On the whole, India appears to be something of a hotspot in terms of snakes making their way onto aircraft. Indeed, back in December 2022, a snake was found on an Air India Express plane in Dubai having entered the cargo hold (rather than being smuggled by a passenger), as Simple Flying reported at the time. In 2023, both May and September saw snakes found in luggage at Chennai International Airport (MAA).
By JAKE HARDIMAN/Simple Flying
