German Customs Uncover 1,500 Live Tarantulas Stuffed In Sponge Cake Boxes

German customs officials were left stunned after uncovering a chilling surprise inside a shipment labeled as chocolate sponge cake.

Instead of sweet treats, officers at Cologne Bonn Airport discovered 1,500 live tarantulas hidden in plastic containers.

The shipment, which had arrived from Vietnam, has sparked criminal investigations and raised alarm about animal trafficking.

The discovery was made after officers noticed a strong, unusual odor coming from the 7-kilogram package.

Expecting the scent of chocolate, they were met instead with a foul smell that prompted further inspection.

Inside, they found hundreds of small plastic containers, each holding a young tarantula.

“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,” Cologne customs office spokesman Jens Ahland said per The Guardian.

The shipment had been carefully disguised as a confectionery delivery, but the poor packaging and strange smell gave it away.

Customs officials believe the spiders were being smuggled for profit, likely to be sold in the exotic pet trade.

While some of the tarantulas survived the journey, many did not.

The plastic containers offered little protection or ventilation, violating animal welfare regulations in Germany.

“An extraordinary seizure for German Customs, even though we are saddened by what some people do to animals purely for profit.,” Ahland said.

The surviving tarantulas were handed over to a trained handler who specializes in exotic species.

Authorities are still assessing the total value of the shipment, though it’s clear the intent was commercial.

The treatment of the animals and the conditions in which they were transported have sparked further criticism of the illegal wildlife trade, highlighting the need for stricter oversight and international cooperation.

The package was intended for a recipient in the Sauerland region, located east of the airport. That individual is now facing criminal charges for customs violations and failure to pay proper import duties.

According to officials, the investigation is ongoing.

"Animals of any kind must be declared to customs and import duties paid for parcels from a non-EU member state," Ahland added.

Although the seizure took place about three weeks ago, photos of the concealed tarantulas were only released recently.

The bizarre bust serves as a reminder that smugglers will go to great lengths to avoid detection, even hiding spiders inside a dessert box.

While the tarantulas' discovery is shocking, it is not the first time an incident of this nature has occurred in an airport.

Last year, Transportation Security Administration officers stopped a man attempting to board an international flight from Miami International Airport after advanced screening technology detected an “anomaly” in his groin area.

The incident, which occurred on Friday, April 26, led to the discovery of a bag containing two small, pink snakes hidden inside his trousers.

According to a TSA spokesperson, the detection happened during routine screening with Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT), which flags irregularities on passengers' bodies for further inspection.

“It showed that there was an anomaly in the groin area and it marks it for a pat-down,” the spokesperson told The Independent. “When the passenger came through, they said that they needed to do a pat-down and that’s when he admitted that there were snakes in his pants.”

The individual, whose identity was not disclosed, immediately confessed after being flagged, reportedly stating there were "snakes in his pants."

As protocol dictates, law enforcement and Customs and Border Protection were notified.

The reptiles, which were retrieved from a camouflage-colored bag, were safely handed over to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The man was ultimately barred from boarding his flight.

The TSA spokesperson emphasized that such attempts to smuggle animals in this fashion are rare, adding, “I think that he knew that, you know, once the technology flagged him for a search that he was caught and he admitted to it.”

Following the bizarre incident, images of the two small snakes, still in the camouflage bag, were shared on social media by TSA’s official channels.

As expected, the internet found it amusing and reacted with a flood of jokes and memes referencing the 2006 movie "Snakes on a Plane."