Chinese man admits sneaking snakes over border in socks

BUFFALO: A man who was caught trying to sneak snakes into Canada in his socks has pleaded guilty. Federal prosecutors in Buffalo say 28-year-old Chaoyi Le faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to violating wildlife regulations. He was arrested in 2014 at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge in western New York after Canadian border agents discovered three live albino western hognose snakes hidden in his socks.

At first, Le said he'd found them in a New York park, but eventually admitted buying them. Authorities say Le, a Chinese citizen who lives in Mississauga, Ontario, was trying to avoid a U.S. Fish and Wildlife inspection. Court documents say that on the same day, Le also mailed several snakes from New York to China. Sentencing is set for October 30.