U.S. Customs Finds Poisonous Snake Wine In Miami Florida

U.S. Customs Finds Poisonous Snake Wine In Miami Florida . Most Baby Boomers are familiar with a worm in the bottom of tequila but venomous snakes in alcohol is very unusual in my book. But, if you are from the area around Thailand and south east Asia, you would consider it medicine.

United States Customs and Border Protection officials in Miami seized what they believe is “snake wine,” poisonous snakes bottled in alcohol, on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009. hey were inside an express mail package from Thailand.

Jose Castellano, a spokesman for United States Customs and Border Protection, stated that the agency discovered the bizarre beverage (according to our customs) during the course of what otherwise would have been an ordinary search.

As weird as the story might seem, Castellano stated that “it was just another day at the office.”

“We’re not just at airports checking passports, our officers also confiscated cocaine hidden in a diaper the same day they found the snake wine. We check mail, boats and planes to make sure that anything that can be harmful or illegal does not enter the United States,” he stated.

“Based on a risk management system, we decide what packages we look at, depending on where they are from, and a lot of different characteristics that would cause us to look into something,” Castellano continued.

Big Brother is always watching!

The investigation into the unusual cocktail or medicine, is being handled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Importing cobras into the United States is illegal because they are an endangered species.

“It is wildlife that was not declared,” Eddie McKissick, a spokesman stated. “The issue is…that this species of snake is protected by the convention on international trade in endangered species. It applies to live and dead animals.”

“We see this all the time,” he continued. “Not just the cobras, sometimes it’s turtles and even dried sea horses.”

U.S. Customs Finds Poisonous Snake Wine In Miami Florida and Customs officials stated that the practice of producing an alcoholic beverage that includes a whole venomous snake in the bottle originated in Vietnam and is popular in south east Asia.

Officials stated that the entire snake is submerged in the alcohol, often with insects or other animals such as turtles. The snakes, preferably venomous, are usually not preserved for their meat, but to have the snake poison dissolved in the liquor, which is then used for medicinal purposes.

Federal officials said the package was shipped from Thailand to an address in the southeastern United States. Authorities declined to reveal where or to whom the package was destined to be delivered.

According to McKissick, “We are still gathering facts and haven’t determined a course of action.”

The package, like all international mail, was inspected when it reached the regional Customs inspection site in the area for which it is destined. Once inspected, mail is turned over to the U.S. Postal system.

McKissick stated that, “the importation of endangered species into the United States requires a permit and proper procedures have to be followed. If you have a demand for a wildlife species, someone has to go out and kill that species, so the regulations apply. These species require an export permit that they did not have.”

For the full story of “U.S. Customs Finds Poisonous Snake Wine In Miami Florida,” go to CNN News.