A man was caught trying to smuggle more than 100 live snakes into mainland China by stuffing them in his pants, according to customs authorities in the country.

Customs said in a statement on Tuesday that customs officers in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen intercepted the man who was traveling through the Futian port, a checkpoint between Hong Kong and mainland China.

During the inspection, officers found six cloth bags with ties and sealed with adhesive tape in the pockets of his pants.

The statement noted: "When the officers opened the bags, they found that each bag contained several live snakes of different shapes and colors, and after counting, a total of 104 snakes were found."

The statement added, "Five species of snakes were later identified – milk snake, western hognose snake, corn snake, Texas rat snake, and bull snake – four of which are not native to China. None of the species are venomous, and the incident occurred 'a few days ago,' but it did not specify when."

The customs agency did not mention whether the man was arrested, but it warned that "in case of violation of regulations, customs will pursue legal responsibility according to the law."

In June, another man was arrested while trying to smuggle 454 endangered turtles from Macau to mainland China.