Over 3,000 tarantulas discovered hidden inside socks in luggage at airport

Forget snakes on a plane — Peru’s got spiders in socks.Airport workers in Callao, Peru seized more than 3,000 tarantulas found stuffed inside socks in travelers’ luggage Tuesday.The employees made the skin-crawling discovery inside the suitcases of three passengers at Jorge Chavez International Airport after recieving an anonymous tip.

The thousands of creepy crawlies were hidden inside 15 to 20 socks in each of the three travelers’ bags and included tarantulas in various stages of development, from eggs to young spiders to fully grown adults.Officials believe the trio — two Germans and a Pole — planned to smuggle the eight-legged contraband to Germany to sell to arachnid lovers, according to SERFOR, Peru’s National Forestry and Wildlife Service.Cora Suarez, a wildlife forestry control technician with SERFOR, explained that the hairy, venomous critters can be considered valuable.“These species are attractive because of the colors, because of the size and, more than anything, because they can be intended for collectors,” Suarez said in Spanish.All three passengers were detained by Peru’s environmental crimes police and now face prosecution by a specialized environmental prosecutor’s office.

Tuesday’s spider incident is not the first time a multi-legged stowaway has been the victim of an attempted smuggling on board a flight.In 2025, more than three dozen live beetles hidden in Japanese snacks were intercepted before they could be smuggled into the US.Thirty-seven insects were discovered inside potato chips, chocolates and other snacks during a search as the air-cargo shipment arrived at Los Angeles International Airport from Japan, according to US Customs and Border Protection.The agency noted that the insects are sought after by collectors and are likely worth around $1,500.With Post wires....