Rome – Italian police discovered cocaine hidden near a python as they carried out a drug bust, news reports said Wednesday.
Twelve members of an alleged gang were arrested and five kilograms of cocaine were seized when police raided a Rome apartment where some of the suspects had gathered Tuesday night.
In one of the rooms the officers found the large snake which immediately tried to attack them, the ANSA news agency said.
The reptile, described as a rare albino python, was captured when it began eating a chicken tossed by police as a way to distract it.
Some 200 grams of pure cocaine were found near the python. Police believe the snake was used either to scare off anyone trying to search for the drugs or to intimidate people who owed the gang money.