Peru seizes 3,000 tarantulas found in dirty socks at Lima airport
SERFOR says the spiders were hidden in three suitcases bound for Germany; three European suspects have been detained and face criminal proceedings.
At a glance
- Peruvian authorities seized more than 3,000 tarantulas at Lima's Jorge Chávez international airport.
- The spiders were hidden in dirty socks inside three suitcases carried by two Germans and a Polish citizen.
- SERFOR said one tarantula can sell for about €500 in Europe, making the haul potentially worth €1.5m.
Peruvian authorities have seized more than 3,000 tarantulas at Jorge Chávez international airport in Lima, after customs agents found the spiders hidden in dirty socks inside three suitcases bound for Germany.
The National Forestry and Wildlife Service, known as SERFOR, said on Thursday that the luggage was carried by two German nationals and a Polish citizen. Officials said the animals were discovered during a routine customs inspection at the airport, after agents noticed unusual movement inside the bags.
"We noticed that some of them were moving. There were small ones and large ones," said Cora Suarez, a wildlife control technician at SERFOR.
The tarantulas came from several regions of Peru and were found at different stages of development, ranging from eggs and hatchlings to fully grown adults, Suarez said.
Potential value of one trip
According to Suarez, a single tarantula can sell for about €500 ($560) in Europe. At that price, the haul could have been worth as much as €1.5m for just one trip, she said.
Detentions and charges
The three Europeans accused of smuggling the spiders were detained by police who specialise in environmental crimes and will face criminal proceedings, according to SERFOR.
Trafficking scale
Wildlife trafficking is a highly lucrative criminal enterprise that generates around $20bn a year worldwide, according to the international police organisation Interpol. The illegal trade is also among the main causes of biodiversity loss globally. The seizure underscores the scale of a trade that Interpol says is worth billions of dollars each year.
Source: The Guardian World.
Questions and answers
- Where were the 3,000 tarantulas found?
- They were found at Jorge Chávez international airport in Lima, Peru, hidden in dirty socks inside three suitcases bound for Germany, according to SERFOR.
- How much are the smuggled tarantulas worth?
- SERFOR technician Cora Suarez said one tarantula can sell for about €500 ($560) in Europe, meaning the haul could have been worth up to €1.5m for one trip.
- What happened to the suspects?
- Two German nationals and a Polish citizen were detained by police specialising in environmental crimes and will face criminal proceedings, SERFOR said.
