The German customs seized about fifteen hundred tarantulas at the Cologne Bonn Airport. The spiders were found in plastic tubes inside cake boxes and cookie packages. These turned out to be suspiciously light and smelled odd.
The boxes were sent from Vietnam and were en route to an address in the Sauerland region, German authorities said in a statement.
The packages were supposed to weigh 7 kilos in total, but the shipment turned out to be much lighter. A distinct odor also came from the boxes, according to reports.
“My customs colleagues are used to a lot, but fifteen hundred tarantulas in small plastic packages left even the most experienced officers speechless,” said Jens Ahland, spokesman for customs in Cologne.
According to Ahland, many spiders were already dead. The remaining tarantulas have been placed in terrariums.
A report is being filed against the recipient for violating animal welfare regulations and failing to pay import duties, German customs reports.
