BOISE (CBS2) — Barbara McDonald had no idea her next-door neighbors on Davis Street in Boise's North End were housing more than 30 mostly venomous snakes.
The neighbors seemed "like a nice young couple with a young child. She was very friendly. "
Then Idaho Fish and Game and Boise police descended on Davis Street over the weekend and McDonald was stunned when she heard about the snakes seized from the house next door.
"And so many of them that is what shocked us," McDonald said. "But we didn't see anything, didn't see (authorities) take anything out."
Some of the snakes found were native to Idaho, but many were native to Southwest Asia, Africa and Central and South America.
Authorities say longtime sources, plus a neighbor's tip and some chatter on the Internet led them to the specific location.
Charlie Justus is the regional conservation officer with Idaho Fish and Game.
Justus said officers moved cautiously on the information.
"I feel OK around rattlesnakes and vipers because of my work," Justus said. "But cobras scare me, so I brought in a herpetologist from Northwest Nazarene University, Dr. John Cossel, to help me be the snake wrangler."
Charges are now with the Ada County Prosecutor's Office and the suspect faces charges of importing wildlife without a permit, a misdemeanor.
The snakes are at a Fish and Game facility.
"I will partner with some folks here in Idaho, take care of them while we are in court," Justus said. "And when the judge says I can release them, I hope to get them to zoos and reptile facilities."
Justus said there's an increasing business in sales of exotic snakes on the Internet but declined to comment further on the specifics of the investigation.
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