France… Dismantling of a spider and reptile trafficking network

The public prosecutor’s office in the city of Strasbourg, in eastern France, announced on Friday the dismantling of a protected species trafficking network and the seizure of more than a thousand “Latrodectus mactans” type spiders and reptiles.
A significant quantity of protected species, held illegally, was discovered, sometimes in places “intended to accommodate children”, during 14 search operations carried out in different French regions.
In total, these animals included 97 turtles, a thousand spiders of the “Latrodectus mactans” type, 5 snakes, 4 scorpions, turtles, 2 frogs, according to the “France Presse” agency.
Investigators discovered that four people living in Alsace (east) regularly traveled to Guyana, a French region in South America, or to foreign countries to search for spiders and reptiles in order to sell them illegally in France, for an amount total estimated at several thousand euros.
These people were brought before the Strasbourg public prosecutor’s office on Friday to be placed under judicial supervision.