JAKARTA - A man identified by state media as the curator of a museum in New York, United States was arrested by Turkish police, after being suspected of trying to smuggle poison spiders andLAdies.
Police arrested the suspect at Istanbul Airport, Turkey last Sunday, confiscating dozens of plastic packages from his suitcase containing about 1,500chanks and spiders, including tarantulas, as well as dozens of plastic bottles containing unspecified liquids, police said.
State-owned news agency Anadolu reported the suspect was Lorenzo Prendini, a curator at a historic US museum, without specifying the source.
Police said the specimens confiscated were Turkey's endemics and their DNA could be copied and used for use in the manufacture of drugs.
Demand for these creatures comes from collectors, pet enthusiasts, and individuals looking for these animals for traditional medicine or cultural practice, thus encouraging a lucrative illegal trading market.
However, this trade poses a major threat to the population of this species in the wild. The collection and illegal trade of tarantulas andchanks can result in habitat damage, ecosystem disruption, and ultimately, endangering or extinction of the species.
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"It is understood that these drugs have very high financial value and are therefore strictly prohibited from bringing this animal species abroad," he said.
It said research showed that the market value of one liter of drugs obtained fromgalungan poison was worth 10 million US dollars.
As a result of his actions, the suspect faces charges under the anti-smuggling law, he added without naming.
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