Locarno - From Italy to Switzerland with a ball python in the car, discovered by customs officials - - Varese News

Officers from the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (UDSC) stopped a car carrying two men who were carrying a live ball python.

Officers were on duty in the Locarno area and were carrying out a check behind the border crossing when, around 2 a.m. between Thursday and Friday, near Madonna di Ponte, they stopped a car carrying two Italian citizens, aged 24 and 30. The officers noticed that the passenger had a box on his lap, inside which they discovered a live ball python. The reptile, approximately one meter long, had been purchased the previous day in Italy, but lacked the necessary import permits . The two young men stopped were unable to produce a CITES certificate, required for protected species. The reptile was therefore seized. The officers also noted that the driver of the vehicle was traveling in a vehicle with Italian license plates, but was resident in Ticino. For this reason, the car was ordered to be cleared through customs.