Peru airport thwarts plot to smuggle 3,000 tarantulas in dirty socks

• Peru airport officers found more than 3,000 tarantulas hidden in dirty socks inside three suitcases bound for Germany.
• SERFOR said the spiders were carried by two Germans and a Polish citizen, and some were moving during a routine customs check.
• Police detained the suspects, and the case may involve a €1.5 million wildlife trafficking scheme that threatens biodiversity.

LIMA – More than 3,000 tarantulas were seized at an airport in Lima before the furry crawlers could be smuggled to Germany, Peruvian authorities told AFP on Nov 5.

The spiders were hidden in dirty socks contained in three suitcases carried by two Germans and a Polish citizen, according to the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR).

During a routine customs inspection, agents noticed some unusual wriggling inside the luggage.

“We noticed that some of them were moving. There were small ones and large ones,” said Cora Suarez, a SERFOR wildlife control technician.

Just one tarantula can sell for around €500 (S$717) in Europe, Suarez said. That amounts to a potential €1.5 million wildlife trafficking scheme for just one trip.

The hidden arachnids, which came from several regions of the country, were found in varying stages of development, from eggs and hatchlings to adults, Suarez said.

The Europeans accused of smuggling the tarantulas were detained by police specialising in environmental crimes and will face criminal proceedings, SERFOR said.

Illegal wildlife trafficking is a highly lucrative criminal activity that generates around US$20 billion annually worldwide, according to Interpol.

Such trafficking is among the primary causes of the loss of biodiversity on the planet. AFP