Federal agents carrying out a drug trafficking raid near Albuquerque reportedly discovered far more than narcotics and weapons inside a South Valley home: they also found dozens of snakes, including some of the most dangerous venomous reptiles in the world.
According to a report from People, citing KOAT Action News 7, agents searched the home as part of an ongoing investigation into cocaine distribution. During the raid, authorities reportedly uncovered half a pound of cocaine, three guns, $22,000 in cash, and 60 snakes.
The seizure inventory reportedly listed an alarming collection of reptiles, including cobras, mambas, pit vipers, pythons, and an inland taipan — a species widely regarded as one of the most venomous snakes on Earth.
Some of the animals even had names. According to the report, two pythons were named “Sunset” and “William,” while two cobras were nicknamed “Blizzard” and “Pablo Escobar.”
That last name was especially fitting for a raid tied to an alleged cocaine trafficking investigation.
Officials said most of the snakes seized were venomous, and the New Mexico Department of Wildlife warned that bites from many of the reptiles would require immediate medical attention.
The most shocking animal in the collection, according to professional snake wrangler Connor Sharp, was the inland taipan.
“Somebody having drop for drop the most venomous snake on the planet” just outside Albuquerque was “pretty surprising,” Sharp told KOAT.
He also warned that the danger was not just theoretical. According to Sharp, New Mexico medical facilities likely would not have the specific antivenom needed to treat an inland taipan bite.
That detail alone raises major safety questions for nearby residents, especially given the apparent residential setting of the raid.
One neighbor told KOAT the discovery was deeply upsetting because of the number of children in the area.
“There are a lot of kids here,” the resident said, adding, “I’m really upset.”
No arrest records had been released at the time of People’s report.
The snakes were reportedly examined by professionals and found to be in good condition. Officials said they are being held at a permitted facility while the state works to find permanent placements for them.
Because many of the animals are venomous and require specialized care, they cannot simply be sent to an ordinary rescue or shelter. Authorities said any future placement will need to be with facilities and handlers equipped to safely care for dangerous reptiles.
Sharp also noted that snakes generally do not want to bite people, since humans are not prey and venom is a valuable resource. Still, the presence of highly venomous exotic snakes inside a home connected to an alleged drug investigation is a public safety nightmare.
The case also highlights the risks of private exotic animal collections, particularly when highly venomous species are involved. A single escape could put neighbors, first responders, children, and even hospital workers at risk, especially if the proper antivenom is unavailable.
The bizarre South Valley raid joins a growing list of strange animal-related busts across the country in which law enforcement officers searching for drugs, weapons, or trafficking evidence end up discovering exotic creatures kept in unsafe or unusual conditions.
In this case, the animals are alive and reportedly in good shape. But the combination of cocaine, firearms, cash, and venomous snakes — including one of the deadliest reptiles on the planet — makes the South Valley raid one of the most bizarre New Mexico law enforcement stories of the year.
How does one acquire an inland taipan or a cobra? Another black market for them and the chance for these animals to escape. Dangerous situation. Pretty bad for law enforcement is these animals are used to guard drugs and money.
Kill Bill part 2….breaking bad made nm the haven for drugs and won an emmy.
Add to the most dangerous thing– A NO MORALS lawyer that will get these offenders a light sentence or set free.. Its time to bring justice back, quit this sanctuary, open borders nonsense! Thank you Moochie Loserjan, pretty boy Timmy Keller and the likes for letting thugism run amuck in New Mexico!
Just when you think NM has reached a new low, you find a sub-basement under it. And probably several more beneath it…
A little off-topic, but check out this article at Townhall dot com:
Six Democrat Governors Sacrifice Children to Protect Their Political Power
Why not just destroy these dangerous reptiles…oh yeah. they are not the defenseless unborn.
Sidebar : in fanta se they cut down a bunch of very old and very healthy shade trees to appease the zazobra crowd (invented by the gringo lions club btw)…now the area is barren, so they want new trees that are “native” not particulary hardy…the way of the rich white liberal hypocric…these snakes arent native but are pagan approved !
How does one acquire a inland taipan, arguably the species of snake that has arguably killed more people than any species of snake? I mean, finding drugs and illegal guns in this guy’s house is bad enough. But, to find about 60 snakes, including some of the deadliest species of snake on this planet, especially if this guy has little kids, is worse. Why would you do that? If this guy has children that are young, why would you not only keep drugs, but snakes, especially snakes like…..the inland taipan, again, arguably the most dangerous species of snake on this planet that has arguably killed more people than any other species of snake on this planet, in the house with children?! You are putting your kids in danger if you do that. It would be like if you had your six year old child in the car with you and you got pulled over initially for a simple traffic stop, then they ask to search your car and they find fentanyl and other drugs including heroin in the vehicle. Do you have any idea of what you would be doing then? You would put the life of your six year old child in danger because of that. Especially with fentanyl. Fentanyl, for those who do not know about it, is arguably the most potent, the most powerful, the most dangerous, maybe even the most deadly drug. You think heroin is powerful? Fentanyl is 50 times that. It is more powerful and potent than even heroin. It has been responsible for the deaths of countless and countless and countless innocent people including Americans, including children, and even a number of criminals or criminal offenders, like George Floyd, yes the guy who was supposedly murdered by Minneapolis police officers especially Derek Chauvin, when in reality he died from fentanyl poisoning, and the drug is now the number one killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45. They say that two milligrams of fentanyl is powerful to kill a full grown adult human. That is how dangerous fentanyl is. It’s very likely present in other countries as the drug cartels are essentially a global organization. So it’s very likely that fentanyl is in other countries in some form or another and could be very likely causing the same problem. And if you were the parent of a six year old child and you had drugs like fentanyl in your vehicle, or house, with a six year old child in the house or vehicle, why would you keep drugs like fentanyl in your vehicle or house with a six year old child around? Why would you do that? You are endangering the life of that child, and likely countless other lives. It’s the same thing with this. This guy had dozens of snakes in his house, including some of the deadliest snakes on the planet, inside his house. Imagine if he had little children in his house with them with these snakes around. If he does have little children, he just put their lives at risk. And I don’t know what drugs he had in his house, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if one of them was fentanyl. Which means that if he has little children in his house, he just put them at more of a risk. Countless innocent people have already been killed by fentanyl. And snakes, especially the inland taipan, has killed more people globally, especially in the areas surrounding India or Bangledash or Pakistan, than any other species of snake on Earth. Heck, he could possibly even have a Eastern diamondback rattlesnake in his house that we don’t know. And the Eastern diamondback rattlesnake is actually more dangerous than the Western diamondback rattlesnake I believe. The Western diamondback rattlesnake is pretty dangerous itself. But, I believe that the Eastern diamondback rattlesnake is actually more dangerous than the Western diamondback. It’s just insane. It’s like that incident that happened in Mountainair a couple of months ago, you know when 3 people died and like 25 other people as well as including dogs got exposed and were hospitalized because of a “mysterious substance” that was found in a house? And I believe that they said that the mysterious substance in the house was fentanyl or something similar to it. Just crazy.