Snakes on a Plane! Man Guilty of Smuggling Reptiles on US Flights

An East Texas man has pleaded guilty to smuggling snakes on several planes from South America to the United States.

During a court hearing Wednesday in Tyler, William Lamar pleaded guilty to importing wildlife taken in violation of foreign law, The Associated Press reported.

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Prosecutors say the 63-year-old eco-tourism guide bought the seven live snakes in August 2012 in a market in Lima, Peru, and smuggled them in his jacket on flights from Lima to Miami and then to Dallas.

Game wardens seized the snakes from Lamar's home in Tyler.

Peruvian law prohibits the exportation of wild live animals coming from the forest or jungle unless the exporter has the proper paperwork.

Lamar faces up to five years in prison.

Last December, an EgyptAir flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger was bitten by a snake that he had smuggled aboard.

The victim, a Jordanian merchant who sells reptiles and had concealed the snake in his carry-on luggage, began screaming after takeoff when the snake escaped and sank its fangs into him.

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The unidentified man then asked the crew to make an emergency landing so that he could receive medical attention for the bite, according to the Jerusalem Post.

"Snakes on a Plane" is a 2006 action film starring Samuel L. Jackson. Hundreds of snakes are released on a passenger plane in an attempt to kill a trial witness.