Man arrested on federal charges for shipping king cobras in potato chip canisters
A Monterey Park man is facing federal charges connected to the seizure of a package that contained three king cobras hidden in potato chip canisters.
According to authorities, 34-year-old Rodrigo Franco was arrested Tuesday morning by special agents with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service after he was named in a criminal complaint filed on July 21.
The affidavit in support of the complaint states the package was sent from Hong Kong on March 2, and United States Customs and Border Protection agents inspected the shipment, only to find three live king cobra snakes; each about two feet long.
The king cobra is a protected and highly venomous reptile, officials said in a news release.
In addition to the three snakes, officials said the package being sent through the United States Postal Service contained three albino Chinese soft-shelled turtles. And on the same day, Franco also mailed six protected turtles from the U.S. to Hong Kong: Desert Box Turtles, three-toed box turtles and ornate box turtles. That shipment was also intercepted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, authorities said in the news release.
Authorities said because of the danger associated with the cobras, the snakes were seized from the package that originated from Hong Kong. The United States Postal Inspection Service made a controlled delivery of the soft-shelled turtles to Franco’s residence. Immediately after the package was delivered, agents with the USFWS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant at the residence.
During the search, agents found the package that came from Hong Kong in the children’s bedroom, where they also discovered a tank containing a live baby Morelet’s crocodile and tanks containing alligator snapping turtles, a common snapping turtle and five diamondback terrapins — all of which are protected species, according to the affidavit.
During an interview following the search of the suspect’s home, Franco admitted that he had previously received 20 king cobras in two prior shipments, but all of them died in transit.
According to the news release, authorities obtained evidence from Franco’s phone that revealed messages in which Franco and an individual in Asia discussed shipping turtles and snakes between the United States and Asia. According to the complaint, the messages indicate that Franco had previously received live cobras from his contact in Asia and was going to give five of the snakes to a relative of his contact.
If convicted of the smuggling charge, Franco could be charged with a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The investigation is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Erik M. Silber with the Environmental and Community Safety Crimes Section.
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