German customs officers have discovered a massive haul of about 1,500 tarantulas hidden inside a shipment disguised as cookies, authorities said Monday. The 7kg shipment from Vietnam was intercepted at Cologne-Bonn airport and emitted a strange smell when opened, customs officials said.
A Cologne customs office spokesperson, Jens Ahland, told The Guardian they had been tipped off by a “noticeable smell” that did not resemble the expected aroma of the confectionery treats.
Inside, they found the venomous arachnids packed into plastic tubes and said that many had not survived the flight, with the remaining spiders placed into professional care.
“My colleagues at the airport are regularly surprised by the contents of prohibited packages from all over the world, but the fact that they found around 1,500 small plastic containers containing young tarantulas in this package left even the most experienced among them speechless,” Ahland said in a statement, adding that it was "deeply troubling what some people do to animals purely for profit".
A criminal investigation has been launched into the package's intended recipient for failing to pay duties and make the proper declarations.
Tarantulas are large, hairy arachnids that average about five inches long as adults, though when spread out, their leg span is up to 11 inches, as per the National Wildlife Federation. According to the National Geographic, they can live up to 30 years in the wild.
In 2020, customs officers at the same airport found 16 live and 10 dead reptiles smuggled inside toys, sweets and dolls from Mexico.
(With inputs from AFP)
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