Latest news with #JensAhland
New York Post
16-07-2025
- New York Post
1,500 tarantulas hidden in snack cake boxes smuggled into Germany
Customs officials in Cologne, Germany, made a startling discovery this summer when they inspected odd-smelling packages of snack cakes from Vietnam. Upon opening the package allegedly filled with 15 pounds of snack cakes, they discovered colorful packages of Vietnamese brands of cookies and chocolate cakes that contained, instead of sweet treats, an estimated 1,500 young tarantulas. 'The noticeable smell upon opening the large package was inconsistent with the alleged contents of 7 kilograms of biscuits,' Jens Ahland, press spokesperson for the Cologne Main Customs Office, said in a news release, translated into English. 'My colleagues at the airport are regularly surprised by the contents of prohibited packages from all over the world, but the discovery of around 1,500 small plastic containers containing young tarantulas in this package left even the most experienced among them speechless.' 3 Plastic containers holding young tarantulas that had been hidden in chocolate sponge-cake boxes shipped to Cologne Bonn airport, western Germany. AP Cologne customs officials said many of the tarantulas did not survive the flight to Cologne. If they were on a nonstop flight from Vietnam, the tarantulas would have been on the plane for about 12 hours. 'An extraordinary seizure for German Customs, even though it saddens us to see what some people do to animals purely for profit,' Ahland said. The tarantulas that did survive were placed in professional care. 3 There was an estimated 1,500 tarantulas in the packages. AP 3 Cologne customs officials said many of the tarantulas did not survive the flight to Cologne. AP Criminal proceedings are underway for the intended recipient of the tarantulas, officials said. They noted that the charges involve not declaring the animals to customs and for not paying duties on packages from a country that is not part of the European Union.
News.com.au
16-07-2025
- News.com.au
1500 tarantulas hidden inside biscuit boxes caught at German airport
Officials were left 'speechless' when they discovered about 1500 young tarantulas hidden in biscuit boxes shipped to an airport in Germany. Customs officials released photos of the spiders in tiny plastic containers on Monday after making the discovery three weeks ago when the packages arrived at Cologne Bonn Airport. The officials said there was a 'noticeable smell' coming from the 7kg of confectionery boxes. '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 1500 small plastic containers containing young tarantulas in this package left even the most experienced among them speechless,' Cologne customs office spokesperson Jens Ahland said in a statement. 'An extraordinary seizure for German Customs, even though it saddens us to see what some people do to animals purely for profit.' The packages came from Vietnam and were due to be delivered to an address in Sauerland, northwestern Germany. While the tarantulas were believed to have been shipped alive, violating animal welfare laws, 'many' died in transit. The remaining spiders were said to have been put in professional care. The Cologne customs office said criminal proceedings were underway against the recipient of the packages. It said animals of any kind must be declared to customs and that import duties need to be paid on parcels sent from a non-EU member state. Last year, a Korean man was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle more than 300 tarantulas out of Peru by strapping them to his body. Authorities had thought the 28-year-old foreigner's stomach 'looked swollen' when passing through security at Jorge Chávez International Airport on November 8, 2024. They found two belts holding small plastic containers and Ziploc bags with 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes and nine bullet ants, according to Peru's forestry and wildlife service, SERFOR. SERFOR said the young man was planning to fly to Korea via France before he was arrested by police.
Fox News
16-07-2025
- Fox News
German customs officials seize 1,500 tarantulas smuggled in international spongecake shipment
German customs authorities recently made a skin-crawling discovery when they found about 1,500 young tarantulas concealed in a shipment of spongecake boxes. The package, which had arrived at Germany's Cologne Bonn Airport three weeks ago from Vietnam, weighed more than 15 pounds and had a noticeable smell that tipped off officials, according to a news release from the Cologne customs office. "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," Jens Ahland, spokesperson for the Cologne customs office, said in a statement. "An extraordinary seizure for German Customs, even though we are saddened by what some people do to animals purely for profit." Many of the tarantulas did not survive the trip, and the surviving spiders were placed in professional care. Criminal proceedings are underway against the package's recipient in the Sauerland region of the country, according to the news release. "Animals of any kind must be declared to customs and import duties paid for parcels from a non-EU member state," the release noted. Last year, a passenger was busted at Miami International Airport for trying to get onto an airplane with a bag of snakes in the passenger's pants. The TSA shared images of the reptiles on X at the time, writing that officers in Florida "detected this bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's pants at a checkpoint." Jens Ahland did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
CTV News
15-07-2025
- CTV News
German customs officials show images of tarantulas hidden in spongecake boxes after smuggling bust
This photo dated June 18, 2025, and provided by the main customs office Cologne, shows plastic containers holding young tarantulas that had been hidden in chocolate sponge-cake boxes shipped to Cologne Bonn airport, western Germany. (Haupzollamt Koeln via AP) BERLIN — Arachnophobes beware: Customs officials on Monday released photos from a seizure of roughly 1,500 young tarantulas found inside plastic containers that had been hidden in chocolate spongecake boxes shipped to an airport in western Germany. 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 seven 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. The Associated Press
The Star
15-07-2025
- The Star
German customs officials find 1,500 tarantulas hidden in biscuit packaging from Vietnam
This photo dated June 18, 2025 and provided by the main customs office Cologne, shows plastic containers holding young tarantulas that had been hidden in chocolate sponge-cake boxes shipped to Cologne Bonn airport, western Germany. (Haupzollamt Koeln via AP) COLOGNE: German customs authorities have found some 1,500 tarantulas concealed within biscuit packaging at Cologne/Bonn Airport during a seizure that took place about three weeks ago. Cologne customs spokesman Jens Ahland said on Monday (July 14) the package, which came from Vietnam, had a "distinctive smell" that did not match the declared 7 kilogrammes of biscuits. Crammed into small plastic containers and hidden in biscuit packaging, the tarantulas were apparently intended for a recipient in the western German Sauerland region. "My colleagues at the airport are regularly surprised by prohibited package contents from all over the world, but finding around 1,500 small plastic containers with young tarantulas in this package left even the most experienced among them speechless," Ahlands said in a statement. Ahland said it was an "extraordinary seizure," but it had saddened authorities to see what some people do to animals for profit. A number of the animals had died, while the remaining living spiders were handed over to specialists. A criminal investigation had been launched, as animals of any kind must be declared to customs and import duties paid for parcels sent from a non-EU member state. - dpa
