China Customs said in a statement. the unnamed traveller was stopped by customs officers as he sought to slip out of semi-autonomous Hong Kong and into the border city of Shenzhen.
The statement said officers seized 104 of the scaly reptiles, including milk snakes and corn snakes, many of which were non-native species. An accompanying video showed two border agents peering into transparent plastic bags filled with squirming red, pink and white snakes.
China is one of the world’s biggest animal trafficking hubs, but authorities have cracked down on the illicit trade in recent years.
The country’s biosecurity and disease control laws forbid people from bringing in non-native species without permission.