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Peruvian authorities confiscated over 3,000 tarantulas hidden in dirty socks / The shipment could have generated revenues of up to 1.5 million euros

Sanziana Georgescu

6 November 2026, 07:36

International

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More than 3,000 tarantulas were confiscated at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, Peru, while they were being transported to Germany. The arachnids were discovered in three suitcases belonging to two German citizens and one Polish citizen.

Customs agents noticed unusual movements in the luggage and alerted the National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR). The spiders were hidden in dirty socks and came from several regions of Peru.

According to the authorities, the specimens were at different stages of development: eggs, newly hatched spiderlings, and adult tarantulas. The three passengers were detained by police specializing in environmental crimes and are being criminally investigated for suspected wildlife smuggling.

A tarantula can be sold in Europe for approximately 500 euros. Thus, the seizure could have generated up to 1.5 million euros in revenue for traffickers in a single operation.

Interpol estimates that international wildlife trafficking generates approximately 20 billion dollars annually and is one of the leading causes of biodiversity loss.

Context: Romania/EU, Germany, and the USA have also recently reported cases of wildlife smuggling concealed in luggage or even on the body

Before this seizure, German authorities stopped a man at Cologne-Bonn Airport who was attempting to smuggle 37 venomous snakes and 55 lizards, reptiles hidden in bottles of cosmetic products and among personal belongings. Several animals died during transport from Mexico, and the case ended with entry being refused and the survivors being handed over to a specialized facility.

At the same time, an incident was reported in the USA at Miami Airport, where a man returning from Cuba was detained after agents found 10 live birds hidden in his underwear, concealed in sewn-in tubes, although he allegedly claimed that he was not transporting wildlife.