Authorities at Lima Airport Find More Than 3,000 Tarantulas Hidden in Dirty Socks

At Peru’s Jorge Chávez International Airport, authorities were conducting a routine customs inspection when they spotted strange wriggling movements inside some luggage. I can’t even begin to imagine the wacky stuff these agents find in people’s bags—but I would have loved to see their faces when they realized that the offending wrigglers were just some of the thousands of tarantulas distributed among three different suitcases, as reported by the Agence France-Presse via The Guardian. Authorities in Lima have seized over 3,000 tarantulas hidden inside dirty socks in the luggage of two German nationals and one Polish citizen heading to Germany, according to a translated government statement. The geniuses were at the boarding areas probably sweating bullets when agents caught up with them. They were detained and now face criminal proceedings under the jurisdiction of Peru’s Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office. “We found the tarantulas in different stages of life, from eggs and hatchlings to adults. The traffickers made a meticulous selection to include different species, some of which have not yet been described by science,” Cora Suárez, a forest and wildlife control technician at the National Forestry and Wild Fauna Service (SERFOR), said in the statement. The tarantulas included spiders at different stages of life. © SERFOR The spiders, including some brightly colored ones, came from different Peruvian regions, such as Junín, Loreto, Cajamarca, Cusco, and La Libertad. While their identification is ongoing, we know that Thrixopelma lagunas was present as well as spiders from the genus Pamphobeteus. There were also previously undescribed species in the genera Antikuna and Avicularia. The statement, referencing scientific publications without pointing to any specific one, claims that one of the three suspects is a famous tarantula researcher. The spiders were likely being trafficked for collection, research, and the pet industry. In Europe, a single tarantula can be worth around $560, Suárez told Agence France-Presse. At that rate, the three suitcases’ worth of creepy crawlers could have raked in over $1.6 million if they had made it over the Atlantic. Once experts have finished investigating the sock spiders, the arachnids will be moved to an authorized breeding center. “SERFOR will continue its enforcement efforts to combat this illegal trafficking and safeguard our natural heritage,” concludes the statement. “Don’t buy into a crime: Don’t be part of the illegal wildlife trade that harms our biodiversity.” I don’t know about you, but if the tarantulas had made it onboard, I would have had that plane back on the ground faster than the recent unplanned European landings.