Trafficking in protected species between Guyana and Alsace has been dismantled and more than a thousand black widows – venomous spiders – and reptiles have been seized, the Strasbourg public prosecutor's office announced on Friday.
Numerous protected species held illegally, sometimes in places “accommodating children”, were discovered during 14 searches carried out in different places on French territory.
Tarantulas, black widows, boas, pythons and scorpions
A total of 97 tarantulas, 1,000 black widows with potentially deadly venom, as well as reptiles (five boas, four pythons), 22 scorpions, turtles and two poison arrow frogs.
Investigators discovered that four people living in Alsace regularly went to Guyana or foreign countries to look for arachnids and reptiles in order to sell them illegally in France for a total amount estimated at several thousand euros.
These four people were referred to the Strasbourg public prosecutor's office on Friday with a view to placing them under judicial supervision. They will be judged in September and three other summons to the same hearing were sent to buyers, the prosecution said.
The searches and investigations were carried out under the authority of the Strasbourg public prosecutor's office, prosecutor's office of the regional environmental center, by the gendarmes of the Nancy detachment of the Central Office for the fight against attacks on the environment and health. public (Oclaesp), the research brigade of Soultz-Guebwiller (Haut-Rhin), in co-referral with the environmental inspectors of the French Biodiversity Office.