Imagine being on a flight, relaxing and enjoying the sky, only to have a snake slithering next to you or a turtle taking a nap in your seat!

In a dark and thrilling world, the boundaries of smuggling have expanded to include not only drugs and illicit money but also dangerous wild creatures being silently and covertly transported across the skies of the world. These animals include rare and prohibited species.

In this context, a man from Mongolia was apprehended at Bangkok's international airport as he was preparing to board a plane. Customs officials discovered snakes, Komodo dragons, and turtles in his luggage, according to Thai customs authorities on Monday.

During the inspection of the man's belongings, customs officers found two Komodo dragons, six Indian tortoises, eight iguanas, five snakes, including a rare venomous snake, and 24 fish. The man was about to board a flight bound for Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.

Mongolia is known to be a hub for smuggling wild animals to major markets such as Vietnam or China, where they are used in traditional medicine.