A man going through security at Germany’s Berlin-Schonefeld Airport in December was caught trying to smuggle a live snake into the terminal in an interesting manner.
According to the main German customs office, airport employees stopped the passenger ahead of his Dec. 24 flight to Israel when they “noticed that he carried something in his pants that did not belong there.”
Federal police and customs officials then discovered that he was transporting a nearly 16-inch boa constrictor on his person via a small cloth bag that was attached to his waistband. When the man couldn’t provide proper documentation for the snake, it was confiscated and taken to a reptile rescue station in Brandenburg. Officials said the man will be fined.
The customs office dubbed the snake its “most curious find of 2018” in the press release documenting the incident.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Where Trump 2.0 Will Differ From 1.0
- How Elon Musk Became a Kingmaker
- The Power—And Limits—of Peer Support
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com