A New York man who attempted to bring three “injurious” pythons in his pants while crossing the US-Canada border is now facing smuggling charges.
Calvin Bautista, 36, was arraigned on Tuesday for a 18 July 2018 incident where he allegedly smuggled three Burmese pythons inside the legs of his pants, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York. He’d been making his way south into New York.
The Burmese pythons, which are a species that has been banned in the US from import and sale because of the threat they pose to local wildlife, were reportedly uncovered inside the man’s garments when he entered through the Champlain Port of Entry in upstate New York.
If charged, Mr Bautista can face a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release of up to three years.
The 36-year-old was released pending his trial. His case is being investigated by the US Fish & Wildlife Service and US Customs and Border Protection.
In the United States, Burmese pythons are listed by the Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as an Injurious Species. in Florida, where the invasive snake threatens 41 federal and state-listed threatened and endangered species, they were added to the state’s list of prohibited animals in 2021.
There are estimated to be tens of thousands of the creatures in the Sunshine State, roaming free in the wild, with some experts placing that figure closer to 100,000.
Because of their imported status, the reptiles challenge native species for food and land, with the state experiencing the near eradication of small mammals, according to Dan Ashe, the head of US Fish and Wildlife.
This has played out most devastatingly in Everglades National Park, where a breeding population has been established for years and has been linked to severe declines in mammals in the south Florida region, according to the US Geological Survey.
