Turkish police have arrested a man suspected of trying to smuggle valuable poisonous spiders and scorpions out of the country. According to the Turkish press, he is the curator of the famous North American Museum of Natural History located in New York.
The suspect was detained at Istanbul airport on Sunday, where authorities seized dozens of bags inside his luggage that contained about 1,500 scorpions and spiders, tarantulas and dozens of plastic bottles with unspecified liquids, Reuters quoted him as saying. .
Lorenzo Brentini, curator of the American History Museum, was the suspect, state news agency Anadolu reported, without citing sources.
Police said the seized animals were from Turkey and their DNA could be cloned and their venom extracted for use in pharmaceuticals. The suspect is facing charges under the Prevention of Animal Trafficking Act, officials said, adding that the suspect’s name has not been officially released.
“These drugs have very high financial values, therefore, it is strictly forbidden to take these animal species abroad,” the Turkish police points out, adding that one liter of the drug is made from poison. The seized scorpions are worth 10 million dollars (over 9 million euros).