Forget snakes on a plane—travelers at a Peruvian airport were allegedly carrying spiders in their socks.
Authorities at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Callao seized more than 3,000 tarantulas from the luggage of three passengers on Tuesday.
The disturbing discovery was made after airport employees, acting on an anonymous tip, searched the travelers’ suitcases.
Investigators found the spiders packed into 15 to 20 socks inside each bag. The haul included tarantula eggs, juveniles and fully mature specimens.
According to Peru’s National Forestry and Wildlife Service, known as SERFOR, the group—two German nationals and one Polish national—was allegedly planning to transport the valuable arachnids to Germany for sale to collectors.
Cora Suarez, a wildlife and forestry control technician with SERFOR, said the tarantulas can command high prices because of their distinctive appearance.
“These species are attractive because of their colors, their size and, above all, because they can be sought by collectors,” Suarez said in Spanish.
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All three passengers were taken into custody by Peru’s environmental crimes police. They could now face prosecution through a specialized environmental prosecutor’s office.
The unusual airport seizure is not the first attempted smuggling case involving live creatures hidden in air shipments.
In 2025, US officials intercepted more than three dozen live beetles concealed inside Japanese snack products before they could enter the country.
US Customs and Border Protection said 37 insects were found hidden in potato chips, chocolates and other snacks when an air-cargo shipment from Japan arrived at Los Angeles International Airport.
The insects were believed to be sought-after collector’s items with an estimated combined value of about $1,500.
With Post wires.
