Overview

• Customs officers at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport apprehended 34-year-old Goodman Linford Leo on June 27 after spotting suspicious behavior and finding 16 live snakes hidden in cotton bags among his luggage.
• The seized reptiles comprised two Kenyan sand boas, five rhinoceros rat snakes, three albino snakes, two Honduran milk snakes, one California kingsnake, two garter snakes and one albino rat snake.
• This incident marks the third wildlife smuggling bust at Mumbai airport in June, underscoring a persistent trafficking route from Thailand into India.
• Preliminary investigations suggest Leo may be connected to a larger syndicate funneling exotic species between Southeast Asia and India.
• The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare are assisting Customs in preparing to repatriate the snakes to Thailand under India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act and CITES guidelines.