German Customs Reject 'Care Package' Of Rotting Snake Heads

Customs agents find the weirdest things. Sometimes a container of limes is actually full of marijuana. Sometimes a priest tries to disguise gold bars as chocolate bars to avoid paying customs duties. Agents in Germany are probably used to looking through care packages of cookies, candy, and other snacks from far-off countries, but recently they got a smelly surprise when a resident's care package turned out to be full of rotting snake heads, fish, and insect larvae.

According to The Local, an unnamed resident in Munich received a package from Zambia containing 44 pounds of fish, snake heads, and insect larvae. That was actually an extremely generous package, because agents say the items were originally delicacies. The insect larvae were from mopane worms, which are a tasty and popular snack in Zimbabwe.

"The contents are delicacies, so it is a sort of care package," a spokesperson for the customs department said in a press release.

Something went off in transportation, though, and by the time the box got to customs, the contents had turned distinctly putrid.

The actual date the 44-pound package left Zambia is unknown, but the box is estimated to have spent at least several weeks in transit. By the time it reached Germany the contents were badly spoiled and weren't any good to eat anymore, and also the snake heads were boas, a protected species. The package and its contents were confiscated and destroyed.

Click here to check out 10 foods you can't bring into the U.S., and some that you should.