More than 3,000 tarantulas were seized at an airport in Lima while en route to Germany, Peruvian authorities said.
The spiders were hidden in dirty socks contained in three suitcases carried by two Germans and a Polish citizen, the National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) told Agence France-Presse on Thursday.
They were spotted after officers noticed unusual movements inside luggage during a routine customs check at Jorge Chávez International Airport. “We noticed some of them were moving. There were some small ones and some big ones,” said SERFOR wildlife control technician Cora Suarez.
A tarantula can sell for about 500 euros ($560) in Europe, Suarez said, meaning the wildlife trafficking project could be worth 1.5 million euros for a single trip.
The hidden arachnids, from several regions of Peru, were discovered in different stages of development, from eggs and hatchlings to adults, Suarez said.
The Europeans accused of tarantula trafficking were arrested by police specializing in environmental crimes and will face criminal prosecution, SERFOR said.
Illegal wildlife trafficking is a highly lucrative criminal activity that generates around $20 billion a year worldwide, according to Interpol.
This trafficking is one of the main causes of the loss of biodiversity on the planet.
Gn world
