The incident occurred during a routine baggage inspection at Katowice-Pyrzowice Airport, southern Poland, where officials from the Silesian Customs Office discovered the substance.

The cream, popular in Asia for its alleged medicinal properties and marketed as effective against inflammatory joint pain and muscle aches, contains venom from the king cobra, a species protected under the Washington Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species.

Under EU law, importing such products requires thorough documentation, including an export permit from the exporting country and an import permit from the destination within the EU.

“Bringing a product containing Ophiophagus hannah [the Latin name of the king cobra] venom into the European Union necessitates customs declaration and permits to ensure compliance with international wildlife protection regulations,” a spokesperson from the Silesian Customs Office said.

Under Polish law, the traveler, who comes from Vietnam, could face up to five years in prison, if found guilty of attempting to import endangered species or their derivatives without proper authorization.