A call to the Richmond RCMP resulted in a rather unusual seizure when four illegally held pythons were found by Mounties in a car last month.

A call to the Richmond RCMP resulted in a rather unusual seizure when four illegally held pythons were found by Mounties in a car last month.

According to David Karn, spokesperson for B.C.’s Ministry of Environment, Richmond RCMP were called to a police matter on Oct. 12. Officers then arrested a male and found four pythons in his car. The pythons were transported to RCMP cells until they were taken into the care of the BC Conservation Officer Service.

Of the four, one was a 14-foot Burmese python. The other three were reticulated pythons, one of which was 12 feet long.

According to the ministry, Burmese and reticulated pythons are “prohibited species,” which means that regardless of size, possession and transportation of the snakes in B.C. is illegal without a permit.

The investigation is still ongoing and the pythons currently remain in provincial government care.