LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man was arrested on federal smuggling charges Tuesday after customs officers intercepted a shipment with three live king cobras hidden inside potato chip canisters that were being mailed to his California home, U.S. prosecutors said.

Rodrigo Franco, 34, was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon in Los Angeles on a charge of illegally importing merchandise. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney who could comment on the allegations.

The three king cobra snakes — each about two feet (just over half a meter) long — were found in March when Customs and Border...