Three arrested in Peru after 3,000 tarantulas found stuffed in socks at airport
Two Germans and a Polish national were arrested at Callao airport in Peru after attempting to board a plane with over 3,000 live tarantulas hidden in their socks.
Three arrested at Callao airport after tarantulas found hidden in socks
Three people were arrested at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Callao, Peru, after authorities discovered more than 3,000 live tarantulas concealed inside their socks, wideopenspaces.com reports. The suspects — two German nationals and one Polish national — were intercepted as they attempted to board a commercial flight with suitcases packed full of the live arachnids.
Footage released by officials showed security personnel rifling through the luggage, revealing the scale of the attempted smuggling operation. The spiders had been stuffed into socks and distributed across the bags in an apparent bid to avoid detection during routine checks.
Peruvian authorities made the arrests before the trio could board their flight. The tarantulas, numbering in the thousands, were alive at the time of discovery.
The case adds to a growing catalogue of wildlife smuggling attempts intercepted at international airports. In a separate incident reported by CBS News, Indian customs officials at Mumbai airport stopped a passenger arriving from Thailand carrying 44 Indonesian pit vipers and three Spider-tailed horned vipers — both venomous species — alongside five Asian Leaf turtles. Mumbai Customs published images of the seized animals on social media.
Earlier the same year, officials at Mumbai also detained a smuggler found carrying five Siamang gibbons, a small ape native to the forests of Indonesia.
Wildlife trafficking through airports remains an ongoing enforcement challenge for customs and border agencies worldwide, with live animals — including venomous reptiles and exotic spiders — regularly featuring among seized contraband alongside more conventional items such as gold, cash, and controlled substances.
Source: The Sun