Snake Breeding Bust in China: Man Jailed After High Electricity Usage Exposes Illegal 300-Python Apartment Farm
An unemployed man living in eastern China has been sentenced to prison after authorities uncovered an illegal wildlife operation involving more than 300 pythons inside his residential apartment. The illicit breeding hub was exposed following a targeted investigation into the property’s unusually high electricity consumption.
An unemployed man living in eastern China has been sentenced to prison after authorities uncovered an illegal wildlife operation involving more than 300 pythons inside his residential apartment. The illicit breeding hub was exposed following a targeted investigation into the property’s unusually high electricity consumption. The investigation began in March 2024 when a senior citizen spotted a large, thick snake near a mountain base in Taizhou, Zhejiang province. Because the reptile was not indigenous to the area and snakes are generally inactive during early spring, local police suspected it had escaped from a nearby breeder.
To locate the source, authorities consulted a professional snake raiser who noted that pythons require constant warmth and humidity, typically between 20 to 30 degrees Celsius. Maintaining these artificial conditions requires an immense amount of power, prompting detectives to screen local neighborhoods for anomalous electricity bills. Chen Tao Viral Video: Chinese Billionaire Caught on Camera Kissing Woman in Lift, Company Loses 2.9 Billion After Clip Surfaces.
The data led investigators to a man surnamed Guo, who lived alone and had no formal employment. Surveillance revealed that an accomplice, surnamed Di, frequently visited the flat to deliver packages filled with live white mice purchased online. Police also uncovered social media photos posted by Guo that hinted at the illegal sale of reptiles.
When police raided the apartment, they discovered plastic boxes stacked floor-to-ceiling across two bedrooms and the living room. Each box contained a python, leaving Guo with only one small bedroom for his personal use. Officers seized a total of 309 pythons from the residence, all of which have since been safely transferred to a local zoo.
Guo admitted that he began researching snake cultivation in 2014 after purchasing four pythons from a shop owner named Deng. Over the years, Guo and Di successfully bred and sold roughly 80 pythons. A follow-up investigation led to Deng's arrest, where an additional 47 snakes were recovered. Viral Video Shows ‘7-Star’ Dining Experience at State-Owned Hospital in China, Video Goes Viral.
In total, the broader police operation involved 436 pythons with an estimated market value exceeding 30 million yuan (US$4.4 million). Pythons are classified as Grade Two protected animals under Chinese law, making it strictly illegal to buy, sell, breed, or transport them without explicit state permission.
A local court in Taizhou convicted Guo, Di, and Deng for the illegal breeding and sale of rare and endangered wildlife. While the exact length of their prison terms has not been made public, statutory guidelines for offenses involving Grade Two protected species carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 26, 2026 11:03 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).