Story highlights Man charged after three deadly snakes are discovered in a package sent from Hong Kong

Other protected reptiles were discovered in his home, officials say

(CNN) The discovery of three deadly king cobras in potato chip cans led to the arrest of a Southern California man on suspicion of illegally importing the snakes and other reptiles, according to a news release from the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office.

The man, named in an affidavit seen by CNN as Rodrigo Franco, was taken into custody after United States Customs and Border Protection inspected a package from Hong Kong and discovered the three live, 2-foot-long snakes crammed into potato chip canisters.

King cobras are protected under the Endangered Species Act and their import or export is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

In addition to the snakes, the parcel, sent through the United States Postal Service, contained three albino Chinese soft-shelled turtles, according to the affidavit.

Franco also sent a package containing six protected turtles -- desert box turtles, three-toed box turtles and ornate box turtles -- from the United States to Hong Kong, but that shipment was intercepted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, according to the affidavit.

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