Man does that sound similar to a story that happened to me.
I was living down in Chattanooga, TN. Drove up to Nashville to pick up a snake, bought the snake and the lady gave me a ten gallon tank and some ASF's to start breeding for food.
Well on the way home we get hit by the hook going a little too fast.
Pulls me and my woman out of the car one by one, ask's us both I don't know how many times if there were drugs in the car...NO NO NO, YES you can search the car.
"What's in the box" he asks when he glances through the front of the car and looks in the backseat...THE SNAKE THAT WE TOLD YOU WE JUST PICKED UP!
He basically stopped everything he was doing and said slow it down and have a safe trip back home.
Who would of thought police are terrified of snakes but will face death everyday.