More than 3,000 tarantulas stuffed in dirty socks caught on their way to Germany

Customs officers at Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport discovered more than 3,000 tarantulas hidden inside three suitcases during a routine inspection. According to the Malay Mail, the spiders, which ranged from eggs and hatchlings to full-grown adults, were concealed in dirty socks. The arachnids originated from several different regions within Peru.

The Malay Mail reports that the luggage was being carried by two German citizens and one Polish citizen, all of whom were detained by environmental crime police. Cora Suarez, a wildlife control technician for the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR), stated that a single tarantula can sell for approximately 500 euros in Europe, suggesting the potential value of the shipment was 1.5 million euros. The individuals involved will face criminal proceedings, according to SERFOR.

Brief written by urgent.news from Euro Weekly News, Malay Mail — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.