Overview
- Customs and Peru’s forestry service found more than 3,000 tarantulas packed in plastic containers and hidden inside socks in three suitcases at Jorge Chávez airport after an anonymous tip led to an inspection on Tuesday.
- The shipment included eggs, hatchlings and adult tarantulas from several Peruvian regions and was concealed with containers labeled by collectors’ type.
- Two German citizens and one Polish citizen were detained by environmental-crimes police and the case was handed to the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office for criminal proceedings.
- SERFOR officials say many of the seized specimens are protected under Peruvian law and that some may be undescribed species, which could raise penalties if confirmed.
- Authorities estimate a high export value per specimen, investigators are still identifying species and provenance, and the next steps include formal charging, scientific identification, and placing seized spiders with an authorized breeding center.