Customs Officials at Cayenne Airport in French Guiana, caught a Polish man who was trying to smuggle nearly 100 tarantula spiders in his luggage on August 25. The man reportedly attempted to carry a bag containing 38 adults and some 50 spiderlings, as well as dozens of egg-filled cocoons through the airport at Cayenne. He was arrested just before he boarded a flight to Paris. He packed the spiders in "plastic bottles", hidden among the luggage, the airport officials said. Upon being caught, the man apparently described himself as “passionate about insects”. According to the Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage (ONCSF) or the National Hunting and Wildlife Agency, the transport of live scorpions and tarantula is “not forbidden wholesale, but it is regulated”.

Animals smuggled in through airport luggage

Insects collector from around the world come to French Guiana for its versatile biodiversity. The region is also known for its old-growth forests which are protected by the Guiana Amazonian Park. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and the European Union have made special efforts to protect the wildlife. 

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Other outrageous animals smuggling attempts 

It is not uncommon to find animals in airport luggage. In April, a Filipino citizen was also caught when Customs Officials found nearly 700 tarantulas inside gift-wrapped boxes of cookies and oatmeal. The spiders were seized at a mail exchange centre near the Phillippines International Airport. The spiders were reportedly declared as “collection items” and were estimated by officials to be worth around $5,900. Other than tarantulas, animals such as turtles, orangutan and a snake were also found in luggage. More than 1500 live turtles were discovered inside four pieces of abandoned luggage. The arrested man claimed that the package came all the way from Poland.

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Another individual was caught by officials for attempting to smuggle two tarantulas into Pakistan. The man was arrested by Islamabad International Airport Officers after an anonymous tip. He claimed that he bought the tarantulas from China and it was his first time to smuggle spiders into Pakistan. In another similar incident, a Russian tourist also attempted to smuggle a drugged orangutan out of Indonesia in his suitcase. In July, an airline passenger left their pet snake at a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint in Newark Liberty International Airport. The snake which was 15 inches long was spotted slithering around on the floor of the Terminal, by a child.  

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(With PTI inputs)