Live cobras found in package at JFK mail facility

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - A package labeled "plastic tray" that arrived at Kennedy Airport from China turned out to contain live venomous snakes.

On June 29, U. S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the JFK international mail facility inspected the package after an X-ray showed what appeared to be snakes in a round container.

Officers called in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take a closer look. They carefully opened the outer box and discovered five juvenile king cobras and three geckos inside a foam casing.

"Our CBP officers perform numerous daily tasks to protect the United States from potential dangers," CBP's Leon Hayward said in a statement. "This seizure demonstrates our wide-ranging responsibility in protecting our borders and our partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service."