About 1,500 tarantulas found hidden in cake boxes at German airport
Customs officials said on Monday they had found the shipment at Cologne Bonn airport in a package that had arrived from Vietnam. A Cologne customs office spokesperson, Jens Ahland, said they had been tipped off by a 'noticeable smell' that did not resemble the expected aroma of the 7kg (about 15lb) of the confectionery treats.
'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 did not 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 the estimated value of the shipment was being assessed.
Criminal proceedings are under way 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
Spectator
11 hours ago
- Spectator
The origin of the Thailand-Cambodia conflict
A border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia which goes back more than a century has once again erupted in fatal clashes, leading to diplomatic alarm and appeals for international help. There has long been a schism between the two countries over an arbitrarily-drawn, 817-kilometre border conceived by the French in 1907. The present confrontation began in May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed during an exchange of fire between Thai and Cambodian troops in a border region known as the Emerald Triangle because it also shares a frontier with Laos. Despite attempts to prevent escalation, tensions continued to rise. Troop deployments on both sides were reinforced, border crossings were restricted and Thailand threatened to cut electricity and internet links to border towns in Cambodia. There were further deaths and injuries caused by legacy landmine explosions. The mines had been left buried along the border with Thailand after years of conflict from the 1970s to 1990s, including the Vietnam war and the Cambodian-Vietnamese war which involved the brutal, communist Khmer Rouge rulers of the renamed Kampuchea. A Thai soldier lost a leg from a mine detonation on 16 July and then five more soldiers were injured from blasts. The deaths and injuries led to a huge escalation between the two countries. Thailand launched six F-16 fighter jets to the border, one of which bombed a 'military' target in Cambodia; and in a second raid, four F-16s were sent to bomb more military sites. Cambodian troops fired rockets and artillery shells, striking homes and public buildings. At least one Thai civilian was killed in Surin province, and three others, including a five-year-old boy, were injured, according to Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a Thai government spokesman. According to the health ministry in Bangkok, at least 11 civilians and one soldier have been killed in Thailand from artillery fire in the recent clashes. Twenty-four civilians and seven military personnel have been injured, the ministry said. Casualties in Cambodia are unknown. In one incident, the Thai army claims, six people were killed at a petrol station in Thailand from Cambodian rocket fire. Hundreds of people have fled their homes near the border. Thailand eventually closed its entire border with Cambodia. Each country condemned the other's aggression and refused to take responsibility for starting the new round of border clashes. In the midst of the border confrontations, Thailand's prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was caught making a highly controversial telephone call to Hun Sen, the powerful former leader of Cambodia in which she denigrated the Thai army's actions on the border. She addressed Hun Sen as 'uncle'. The conversation was leaked, and the Thai prime minister was suspended. She now faces dismissal. In terms of firepower and military capability, Thailand is streets ahead of Cambodia. With more than 360,000 active military personnel, Thailand has triple the manpower. Thailand's air force is 'one of the best-equipped and trained in Southeast Asia,' according to Military Balance 2025, published by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. At the heart of the current border dispute is the Ta Muen Thom temple in Cambodia. The Cambodian defence ministry accused Thai soldiers of installing barbed wire around the base of the temple and flew drones across the border. Bangkok said Cambodia made the first aggressive move.
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Mom, 21, charged with drug trafficking after 'being caught smuggling cannabis from Thailand'
A British mother has been charged with trafficking drugs into Germany after being caught allegedly smuggling cannabis from Thailand. Cameron Bradford, 21, from Hertfordshire, was arrested at Munich Airport on April 22 when she attempted to collect her luggage. Authorities had become suspicious after she allegedly changed her flight at the last minute, having originally been due to fly to London Heathrow via Singapore. Her family had filed a missing person report after raising concerns when she did not return home as expected, but then learned the next day she was in Germany. Bradford was arrested and held in custody - and has been charged with attempted transit of cannabis and abetting the international trafficking of cannabis. The mother, who has a young son, is set to make an appearance at a hearing in Munich District Court on August 6 as authorities continue to investigate. A Foreign Office spokesman said today: 'We are supporting a British woman who is detained in Germany and are in contact with her family and the local authorities.' Bradford's arrest is one of a series of cases involving suspected young British female drug mules stopped by police at airports in countries around the world. Following her arrest, Munich chief prosecutor Anne Leiding said: 'We can confirm that we are conducting proceedings in this matter. The defendant is still in custody.' Germany legalized cannabis for recreational use by adults in February 2024, but this did not extend to tourists - and the unauthorized import of the drug is illegal. Thailand decriminalized cannabis in 2022, but last month brought in new rules which restrict the sale of the drug to those with a doctor's prescription. A UK Border Force and Thai customs agreement called Operation Chaophraya which aims to reduce attempted cannabis smuggling was launched in July last year. The British Home Office said in April that the scheme was working after cannabis arrivals by post from Thailand dropped by 90 per cent in the first three months of 2025. Parcels from Thailand must now be checked before they are shipped - and over 50 British nationals have been arrested in Thailand for attempted cannabis smuggling since the operation began. MailOnline contacted the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office and the UK's Foreign Office for comment today. A series of other cases in recent months have seen Brits arrested abroad for alleged drug smuggling. One of the most high profile involves 18-year-old Bella Culley, from Billingham in County Durham, who was arrested in Georgia in May after allegedly carrying 12kg of cannabis and 2kg of hashish into the country from Thailand, where she had been on vacation. She could face up to 20 years in jail if convicted, and her next hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Toddler tragically plunges to death at waterpark after ‘slipping from dad's arms going down slide'
A TODDLER has tragically died after "slipping" from her dad's arms going down a slide. The horrific accident took place at the Aquagan waterpark in Lopar, Croatia, on Tuesday afternoon. Local reports said the 21-month old girl from Germany was rushed to hospital where she was treated for serious injuries. But despite medics' best efforts she was soon pronounced dead. The head of the paediatric clinic, Dr Iva Bilić Čače, told the Mail Online: "Numerous serious bodily injuries, including injuries to the brain and internal organs, have been verified. "Despite timely care and all the measures taken, unfortunately, it was not possible to save the child's life." 1
