(AFP) — A man has been apprehended attempting to smuggle over 100 live snakes into mainland China by stuffing them into his trousers, as reported by the country’s customs authority.

The unidentified traveler was intercepted by customs officers while trying to cross from semi-autonomous Hong Kong into the border city of Shenzhen, according to a statement released by China Customs on Tuesday.

“During inspection, customs officers found that the pockets of the trousers the passenger was wearing contained six canvas drawstring bags, each sealed with tape,” the statement read.

“Upon opening the bags, officers discovered live snakes of various shapes, sizes, and colors,” it continued.

In total, officers confiscated 104 snakes, including milk snakes and corn snakes, many of which were non-native species.

An accompanying video showed two border agents examining transparent plastic bags filled with writhing red, pink, and white snakes.

China, a major hub for animal trafficking, has intensified efforts to curb the illicit trade in recent years. The country’s biosecurity and disease control laws prohibit the importation of non-native species without proper authorization.

“Those who violate these regulations will be held accountable according to the law,” the customs authority stated, without detailing the man’s punishment.