Busted Bug Mule: Man Caught Smuggling 320 Tarantulas Under His Shirt
Here’s a travel horror story for the ages: a man tried to smuggle hundreds of tarantulas and other creepy crawlies out of Peru by strapping them to his body.
Spoiler alert: airport security noticed.
According to People magazine, the 28-year-old South Korean traveler raised eyebrows at Lima’s Jorge Chavez International Airport on November 8 when his unusually lumpy stomach caught the attention of security.
Turns out, it wasn’t a big lunch—it was 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes, and nine bullet ants stashed in bags strapped around his torso.
The tarantulas came in all sizes.
Photos show some packed into tubes like they were living toothpaste, while others—big enough to fill your hand—had their own plastic containers. Specialists believe the critters were plucked from Madre de Dios, a biodiverse hotspot in the Peruvian Amazon.
Why trade tarantulas?
Why lug a personal bug zoo across international borders? Experts think it’s tied to the lucrative wildlife trade, where rare species fetch big bucks.
The illegal tarantula trade is a growing concern fueled by the exotic pet market and collectors’ demand for rare species. Many tarantulas are captured from their native habitats, primarily in tropical regions like South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Poachers target species that are rare, colorful, or unique, often depleting local populations and threatening biodiversity.
This trade is largely driven by inadequate regulation and enforcement, as well as gaps in international treaties like CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). Smugglers exploit legal loopholes and use deceptive practices, such as mislabeling species or forging documentation. The illegal trade not only endangers tarantula populations but also disrupts ecosystems where they play vital roles as predators.
This man’s cargo could have been worth a small fortune, especially with the holiday season driving up demand.
Authorities arrested him before his flight to Korea (via France). As for the bugs, they’ve been relocated to safer, less cramped accommodations.
Moral of the story? Leave the arachnids alone, please.
