Two people are facing charges after nearly 50 reptiles were seized from a warehouse in Hamden, officials said.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP)’s EnCon police investigated a warehouse on Sherman Avenue and seized the reptiles. Officials said they seized two anacondas, 46 venomous snakes, and one water monitor lizard.
The snakes include:
- 2 Arizona Black Rattlesnakes
- 2 Black-tailed Rattlesnakes
- 5 Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnakes
- 1 Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
- 2 Mottled Rock Rattlesnakes
- 2 Neotropical Rattlesnakes
- 1 Panamint Rattlesnake
- 6 Prairie Rattlesnakes
- 4 Queretaran Dusky Rattlesnakes
- 13 Timber Rattlesnakes
- 2 Uracoan Rattlesnakes
- 2 Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes
- 1 Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Albino)
- 1 Cape Cobra
- 2 Mangrove Pit Vipers
Officials said the snakes and reptiles seized are illegal to have in Connecticut without proper permits. All of the reptiles were removed by an accredited herpetologist and will have a health screening at a licensed facility, officials said.
During the execution of the search and seizure warrant, 26-year-old Tyler Foster was arrested on an unrelated warrant issued by EnCon police for first-degree criminal trespassing. That warrant was based on his alleged presence in a prohibited area in August 2025, officials said.
Foster and the warehouse owner, 26-year-old Brian Roman, both from New Haven, were charged.
Both turned themselves in to state police and were charged with 49 counts of illegal possession of a wild animal without a permit and 13 counts of taking an endangered or threatened species.
