Peruvian customs agents and authorities from the National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) announced on Nov. 4, 2026, that they seized more than 3,000 tarantulas at the Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima. The spiders were hidden inside socks put in luggage destined for Germany. The alleged traffickers, two German citizens and a Polish national, include a “renowned tarantula researcher” who was not publicly identified, authorities said in a press release. They were reportedly detained by the Peruvian National Police’s environmental crimes unit and face criminal proceedings. “Concealed in socks inside three suitcases, we found the tarantulas in different stages of life, from eggs and hatchlings to adults,” said Cora Suárez, a forest and wildlife control technician at SERFOR in a press release. “The traffickers made a meticulous selection to include different species, some of which have not yet been described by science.” These arachnids, some vividly colored, were collected from the wild allegedly to be sold as exotic pets to collectors and for research. They came from across Peru, including Junín, Loreto, Cajamarca, Cusco and La Libertad, authorities said. The seized spiders include members of the genus Pamphobeteus which includes some of the largest spiders in the world and are sold online for as much as 60 pounds ($80) each. Blue bird eaters (Thrixopelma lagunas), which can fetch 40 pounds ($53) online, were also confiscated along with several new-to-science spiders. Antikuna sp. was only described in 2021, and some species of Avicularia have not yet been scientifically described, according…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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