German customs officials show images of tarantulas hidden in spongecake boxes after smuggling bust
Customs officials found the shipment at Cologne Bonn airport in a package that had arrived from Vietnam, tipped off by a 'noticeable smell' that didn't resemble the expected aroma of the 7 kilograms (about 15 pounds) of the confectionery treats, Cologne customs office spokesman Jens Ahland said.
'My colleagues at the airport are regularly surprised by the contents of prohibited packages from all over the world, but the fact that they found around 1,500 small plastic containers containing young tarantulas in this package left even the most experienced among them speechless,' Ahland said in a statement.
Ahland hailed an 'extraordinary seizure,' but one that 'saddens us to see what some people do to animals purely for profit.'
Many of the eight-legged creatures didn't survive the trip, in a suspected violation of German animal-welfare rules, while survivors were given to the care of an expert handler, the office said. Reached by phone, Ahland said that the estimated value of the shipment was being assessed.
Criminal proceedings are underway against the intended recipient in the Sauerland region, east of the airport, in part for alleged violations of failure to pay the proper import duties and make the proper customs declarations, the office said.
The tarantulas were discovered about three weeks ago, but the customs office only made the images public on Monday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Interpol lifts red notice for anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson
Global police organisation Interpol has lifted a red wanted notice requesting the arrest of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, with the campaigner saying Tuesday he was finally free of the Japanese whalers' "vendetta." "Interpol has officially and permanently dismissed the Red Notice against me," Watson said in a statement, adding the charges against him were "politically motivated." Interpol had issued the notice against Watson, known for radical tactics including confrontations with whaling ships at sea, at the request of Japan, but has now decided the measure was "disproportionate", his lawyer William Julie said in a separate statement. "The Japanese whalers have been after me for 14 years ever since I was first detained in Frankfurt, Germany in May 2012," Watson said in the statement published by his ocean conservation charity, The Captain Paul Watson Foundation. "It has been an incredible pursuit by a very powerful nation using unlimited resources but finally I am free of their vendetta and their relentless persecution," said Watson, who is also the founder of the Sea Shepherd direct action group. A spokesperson for Interpol confirmed to AFP that the Commission for the Control of Interpol's Files (CCF) had deleted the red notice, which is a request to police worldwide to arrest a suspect. Watson, a 74-year-old Canadian-American, was arrested and detained in Greenland in July, 2024 on a 2012 Japanese warrant, which accused him of causing damage to a whaling ship and injuring a whaler. He was released in December after Denmark refused the Japanese extradition request over the 2010 clash with whalers. On December 20, he returned to France, where his children attend school, following a high-profile campaign in his support. - Japanese arrest warrant - "The decision to delete Mr Watson's red notice was made by the CCF -- an independent body tasked to ensure that the processing of personal data by Interpol is in compliance with its constitution and rules," the Interpol spokesperson said. "This is not a judgement on the merits of the case, or the events that occurred in 2010, but a decision based on Interpol's rules on the processing of data," the spokesperson added. "The CCF decision was made in light of new facts, including the refusal by the Kingdom of Denmark to extradite Mr Watson. This is in line with normal procedures." In a statement, Julie said the CCF considered that the red notice "did not meet Interpol's standards, citing the disproportionate nature of the charges, Mr Watson's supposed only indirect involvement (which is contested), the considerable passage of time since the alleged facts, Denmark's refusal to extradite him, and the fact that several other countries declined to act on Japan's arrest or extradition requests." He also said that the Commission pointed to the existence of "political elements" around the case, which gave it an "importance beyond its intrinsic criminal characteristics or pure law-enforcement interest." Sea Shepherd France praised the decision as "a moral and symbolic victory" but warned that it did not yet restore Watson's freedom of movement. "The Japanese arrest warrant remains active, and any country can still choose to execute it," the group said on X. gd-mla-as/gv
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Three-year sentence sought for German anti-lockdown leader
The founder of Germany's Querdenken (Lateral Thinking) movement, which protested against coronavirus lockdown measures, should receive a three-year prison sentence, the prosecution in his criminal fraud trial demanded on Tuesday. The defendant, Michael Ballweg, is attempting to portray himself as a martyr in the fight against an unjust state, the public prosecutor in the Stuttgart trial said on Tuesday. "In reality, an ordinary defendant is standing trial," the prosecutor said. In addition to the prison sentence, the prosecution is demanding the confiscation of more than half a million euros – allegedly funds that Ballweg raised for his movement but used for his own purposes. Ballweg, 50, is accused of having deceived donors to the movement over how their money would be used. He is also accused of several tax offences. In total, he collected more than €1 million ($1.1 million) from thousands of supporters through public appeals, prosecutors said. Ballweg is not charged with fraud, but only with attempted fraud, because some donors were apparently indifferent to what happened to the money, according to the prosecutor's argument. He denies the accusations. The trial began in Stuttgart in February. The regional court had suggested dismissing the case in March, saying its significance was minimal and that no intent could be proven on Ballweg's part. The public prosecutor, however, rejected the proposal. Germany's Lateral Thinking movement launched in Stuttgart during the Covid-19 pandemic but spread to many cities across the country. Supporters repeatedly staged protests against lockdown measures, vaccine requirements and other aspects of the government response. There were also incidents in which police officers and journalists were attacked. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Boy, 7, Struck by Out-of-Control Car While Playing on a Trampoline: 'The Mother Was Just Screaming,' Eyewitness Says
The car was carrying a family of five when it crashed through several properties on July 19NEED TO KNOW Several people, including a 7-year-old boy, have been seriously injured after a car crashed through multiple properties before eventually coming to a stop in a shed 10 feet in the air Police told local outlets that the out-of-control car, which was carrying a family of five, first hit a parked car and then struck the boy as he was playing on a trampoline on July 19 The investigation into the incident is still ongoing, but authorities said alcohol was not a factorSeveral people, including a 7-year-old boy, have been seriously injured after a car crashed through multiple properties before coming to a stop in a shed. According to reports from local outlets Welt and Focus, a car carrying a family of five — including a 42-year-old male driver, a 43-year-old woman and three boys, ages 11, 12 and 13 — crashed in the town of Bohmte, Lower Saxony, in Germany on Saturday, July 19, at around 8 p.m. local time. The car, a Volvo XC60, first collided with a parked car in a farmyard, and then smashed into a hedge before traveling into a nearby yard and hitting the 7-year-old boy, who was playing on his trampoline. The car then flipped over and landed in the upper part of a shed, nearly 10 feet off the ground. Police told the outlets that the car seemingly traveled so far due to the slippery terrain. Around 50 firefighters, 12 emergency volunteers, 12 ambulances, two rescue helicopters and more than a dozen police officers were called to the scene of the crash. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. One neighbor in the community, Daniela Viss, told TV 7 News that she had just gone inside her house when she heard the crash. "I was sitting on the balcony all afternoon, and when it happened, I was inside eating. I just heard it crash loudly and thought, 'Holy cow, what just happened?' " she said, per Focus. "We immediately ran outside and saw this car crash into the roof. The mother was just screaming. Then my boyfriend immediately called an ambulance, the police, everything." The 7-year-old boy sustained serious injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, police told the outlets. The driver and three boys suffered minor injuries, and the 43-year-old female passenger also sustained serious injuries. They were all taken to local hospitals. Police told Welt that investigators took a blood sample from the driver, and his driver's license and the vehicle were confiscated by the prosecutor's office. A spokesperson told Focus that alcohol did not play a role in the incident. The investigation is ongoing. Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for further information about the incident on Sunday, June 20. Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
