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Written by Administrator
Wednesday, 22 December 2010 11:35 |
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Spiders by Mail |
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 A German man who allegedly shipped hundreds of live tarantulas into the United States through the mail has been charged with illegally importing wildlife. Sven Koppler, 37, was arrested by federal agents late on Thursday, shortly after arriving in Los Angeles to meet an associate. The investigation into Koppler began in March, when a routine inspection turned up about 300 live tarantulas in a package mailed to Los Angeles. US Fish and Wildlife Service agents then intercepted two more packag-es, one containing nearly 250 live tarantulas, wrapped in coloured plastic straws. The second package was found to hold 22 Mexican red-kneed tarantulas, a species formally known as Brachypelma Smithi that is protected under an international treaty. According to the criminal complaint, agents believe Koppler has received about $300,000 for selling tarantulas to individuals in dozens of countries throughout the world.
(Source: www.reuters.com)
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