What came out of the suitcase shocked me! 'There are 3 thousand of them wrapped in socks'

The operation held at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Peru revealed the extent of the illegal wildlife trade. Officials of the Peru National Forest and Wildlife Service announced that three suspects, citizens of Germany and Poland, were caught upon a tip-off while they were preparing to leave the country.

According to the Daily Mail, during the investigations, it was determined that more than 3 thousand tarantulas were collected from different regions of Peru, especially Junin, Loreto and Cusco. The suspects were found to have carefully placed the spiders inside socks in order to sell them to collectors or the exotic pet market.

During the searches in the luggage, not only adult spiders but also thousands of eggs and hatchlings were found. It was determined that there were many tarantulas belonging to the genera Pamphobeteus, Thrixopelma, Antikuna and Avicularia among the creatures carried in large plastic containers and small tubes.

One of the most striking details of the operation was the method used by the smugglers. It turns out that each sock is meticulously labeled to avoid mixing different types. The fact that among the seized spiders there were species that have not yet been identified by the scientific world increased the importance of the incident even more.

Experts reported that the creatures captured were New World tarantulas. It has been stated that the venom of these spiders has an effect similar to that of a bee or wasp sting, and that it does not pose a life-threatening threat to humans.

In Peru, it is considered a crime to take protected wild animals out of the country without the necessary permits. While crimes related to wildlife trafficking are generally sentenced to three to five years in prison, in the case of protected species, the penalty can be up to seven years.

An official investigation was launched against three suspects who were detained by national police units specializing in environmental crimes.