{"id":2209011,"date":"2026-11-14T18:00:59","date_gmt":"2026-11-14T17:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/?p=2209011"},"modified":"2026-11-14T13:22:15","modified_gmt":"2026-11-14T12:22:15","slug":"peru-airport-officials-discover-3000-tarantulas-smuggled-inside-dirty-socks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/peru-airport-officials-discover-3000-tarantulas-smuggled-inside-dirty-socks\/","title":{"rendered":"Peru airport officials discover 3,000 tarantulas smuggled inside dirty socks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Three suitcases\u2019 worth of the spiders were on their way to Germany, where they could fetch an estimated \u20ac1.5m<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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More than 3,000 tarantulas were seized at an airport in Lima on their way to Germany, Peruvian authorities said.<\/p>\n

The spiders were hidden inside dirty socks contained in three suitcases carried by two Germans and a Polish citizen, the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) told Agence France-Presse on Thursday.<\/p>\n

They were spotted after agents noticed some unusual wriggling inside the luggage during a routine customs inspection at Jorge Ch\u00e1vez international airport. \u201cWe noticed that some of them were moving. There were small ones and large ones,\u201d said Cora Suarez, a SERFOR wildlife control technician.<\/p>\n

The hatchlings were hidden inside a sock. Photograph: SERFOR\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One tarantula can sell for about \u20ac500 ($560) in Europe, Suarez said, meaning the wildlife trafficking scheme would be potentially worth \u20ac1.5m for just one trip.<\/p>\n

The hidden arachnids, which came from several regions of Peru, were found in varying stages of development, from eggs and hatchlings to adults, Suarez said.<\/p>\n

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