Over 3,000 Tarantulas Worth $1.7 Million Found Hidden in Socks Seized at Airport
Tarantulas seized at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, PeruCredit: Peruvian National Forest and Wildlife Service
Peruvian airport officials have seized more than 3,000 tarantulas hidden in socks across three suitcases bound for Germany
Customs agents at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, Peru’s capital, discovered the arachnids after they spotted them moving during a routine baggage inspection
Two German travelers and one Polish traveler were detained and face prosecution, with Peru’s National Forestry and Wildlife Service revealing that one is a prominent tarantula researcher
Officials at Peru’s largest airport have seized more than 3,000 tarantulas that were set to travel to Germany.
The spiders, which were discovered at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, the country’s capital, were hidden in socks across three suitcases carried by two people from Germany and one from Poland, according to a Wednesday, Nov. 4, press release from the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR).
“We found the tarantulas in different stages of life, from eggs and hatchlings to adults,” said Cora Suárez, a forest and wildlife control technician with SERFOR. “The traffickers made a meticulous selection to include different species, some of which have not yet been described by science.”
A SERFOR official with a tarantula seized at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, PeruCredit: Peruvian National Forest and Wildlife Service
The trio was intercepted by authorities as they checked in at the boarding area, after customs agents noticed something unusual during a routine baggage inspection. “We noticed that some of them were moving. There were small ones and large ones,” Suárez told the Agence France-Presse (AFP).
All three individuals were detained by the Peruvian National Police’s environmental crimes unit and face prosecution. According to the release, one of the individuals detained is a prominent tarantula researcher.
A tarantula seized at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, PeruCredit: Peruvian National Forest and Wildlife Service
The tarantulas, which are protected by the Peruvian government, came from several regions of the South American country, Suárez said. Among them are members of the species Thrixopelma lagunas, Antikuna sp. and Avicularia sp., and the genus Pamphobeteus.
It’s thought the arachnids were going to be trafficked to be collected, researched on and kept as pets, per the release. Suárez told the AFP that just one tarantula can fetch €500 (about $558) in Europe, meaning the trio could have made €1.5 million (almost $1.7 million) after the trip.
Authorities with tarantulas seized at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, PeruCredit: Peruvian National Forest and Wildlife Service
Once they’ve been assessed, the tarantulas will be taken to an authorized breeding center, per the release.
According to Interpol, illegal wildlife trafficking generates at least $20 billion per year, and trafficking is a serious problem in Peru, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world.
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In 2024, authorities stopped a South Korean man for attempting to leave the country with 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes and nine bullet ants, all native to the Amazon, inside Ziploc bags attached to his body, per a SERFOR press release.
Source: Crime
