TSA agent finds live snakes in luggage at California airport

Video by the Transportation Security Administration shows the moment officers discovered two live snakes inside a checked bag at California's Ontario International Airport in October.

Official response and confirmed impact

TSA said the snakes were discovered during a routine inspection of a bag.

X-ray images showed what appeared to be a rope but turned out to be two live snakes concealed in a pillowcase.

"When I realized the item in my hand was alive, I told myself, 'I need to escalate this immediately,'" said TSA Officer Benjamin Andrade-Carillo, who discovered the pillowcase.

Andrade-Carillo notified a supervisor who further inspected the pillowcase. Supervisory TSA Officer Suggey Flores said he felt the pillowcase tense up and start moving.

"I have held snakes before, so I wasn't too spooked," Flores said.

"I was more impressed, because it's not something you see every day."After the discovery of the snakes, TSA said screening operations in the immediate area were paused due to safety concerns.

"Safety was a concern because we didn't know what kind of snakes they were," Flores said.