Latest news with #customs
Washington Post
6 hours ago
- Washington Post
Roughly 1,500 tarantulas found stuffed in boxes meant for chocolate cake
Customs officials smelled that something was amiss even before they unpacked roughly 1,500 tarantulas that had been hidden in boxes that should have been filled with about 15 pounds of chocolate-flavored cake. The tarantulas — large and hairy arachnids — were in a packet addressed to be shipped from Vietnam to North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. The venomous spiders were crammed into small plastic containers that were then filled into the bright-red cake boxes.
Zawya
13 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
Jordan: Some 1,500 trucks cross Jaber border daily amid growing trade activity
AMMAN — Around 1,500 trucks enter and exit Jordan through the Jaber border crossing with Syria each day, according to Director of the Jaber Customs Center Musa Sarheed. Sarheed said customs personnel are operating at full capacity to accommodate a growing volume of trade, which has seen 'substantia growth since the beginning of 2025.' He acknowledged that the centre experiences congestion due to the high traffic but emphasised that streamlined customs procedures are ensuring efficient clearance while maintaining strict security measures, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The preparatory meetings of the Jordanian-Syrian Joint Economic and Trade Ministerial Committee were held Monday in Amman. The sessions were co-chaired by Dana Zoubi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply, and Basil Abdul Aziz Abdul Hanan, Syria's Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade. The discussions focused on ways to enhance trade exchange and resolve obstacles affecting the movement of goods between the two countries, according to Petra. The committee's recommendations have been submitted to the higher ministerial committee, which is set to meet in Amman on Tuesday. The meeting will be chaired by Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply Yarub Qudah and Syrian Minister of Economy and Trade Mohammad Nidal Shaar. © Copyright The Jordan Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
CTV News
15 hours ago
- 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
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Creepy find: German customs net tarantulas in cookie shipment
German customs officers have discovered a massive haul of about 1,500 tarantulas hidden inside a shipment disguised as cookies, authorities said Monday. The seven-kilogramme (15-pound) shipment from Vietnam was intercepted at Cologne-Bonn airport and emitted a strange smell when opened, customs officials said. Inside the found the venomous arachnids packed into plastic tubes and said that many had not survived the flight, with the remaining spiders placed into professional care. "This unusual discovery left even the most experienced officers speechless," customs spokesman Jens Ahland said. It was "deeply troubling what some people do to animals purely for profit", he added. A criminal investigation has been launched into the package's intended recipient for failing to pay duties and make the proper declarations. In 2020, customs officers at the same airport found 16 live and 10 dead reptiles smuggled inside toys, sweets and dolls from Mexico. vbw/fz/yad
Time of India
a day ago
- General
- Time of India
Experts call for coordinated action to tackle illegal shark fishing and trade
Kochi: Marine experts have called for coordinated action and increased awareness to tackle illegal shark fishing and trade. An interactive workshop and panel discussion organized by Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) on Monday highlighted the importance of collaboration among various agencies to ensure conservation of protected species in the wake of India's recent expansion of the list of sharks and rays protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. Experts who attended the meeting felt the need to identify gaps in monitoring and enforcement. Habitat mapping, public awareness campaigns, gear modification, demarcation of conserved areas, AI-supported shark recognition devices and an identification manual were proposed in the workshop. Shark fins in frozen form may often be difficult to identify by enforcement agencies, requiring the need for a strengthened collective capacity among all agencies involved in fisheries management, trade regulation, biodiversity conservation and enforcement. Inaugurating the workshop, CGST & customs chief commissioner Shaik Khader Rahman said joint training exercises and a real-time communication channel among customs, fisheries officials, coastal police, researchers, and forest and wildlife departments are essential to enhance enforcement. "There is a need to forge lasting understanding and actionable strategies between conservation and enforcement," he said. "Fishing pressure and unregulated trade, together with other natural and anthropogenic factors like pollution and climate change, have placed many shark species under threat of extinction," said CMFRI director Grinson George. "Over 40 elasmobranch species are now listed under CITES I (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). This means that any trade involving these species must be accompanied by permits ensuring that their extraction from the wild is sustainable and not detrimental to their survival," he said, adding that effective conservation requires awareness among fishing communities, strengthening of monitoring, enforcement and international collaboration. At the same time, marine scientists cautioned that while implementing stricter conservation measures, livelihoods of fishermen must also be considered. "Shark fishing is a primary source of income for many Indian fishing families and enforcement should not disrupt legitimate fishing activities," said CMFRI finfish fisheries division head Shoba Joe Kizhakudan. Union fisheries joint secretary Neetu Kumari Prasad and T M Najmudeen also spoke at the function. Apart from marine scientists, officials from state fisheries and wildlife departments, customs, Coast Guard, Navy and wildlife crime control bureau, along with representatives of exporters and various NGOs, took part in the discussion.
