Man Arrested in Los Angeles for Allegedly Smuggling Hundreds of Tarantulas to U.S.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A tarantula spider (Theraphosidae) is displayed during a live exotic animal exhibition in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Monday, April 19, 2010.(AP Photo/Petar Petrov) (AP)
A man accused of smuggling hundreds of tarantulas into the U.S. is under arrest after federal agents spun an undercover web to catch him.
The U.S. attorney's office says 37-year-old Sven Koppler of Wachtberg, Germany, was arrested Thursday after arriving in Los Angeles.
A criminal complaint says Koppler mailed more than 500 live tarantulas from Germany to Los Angeles.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fish and Wildlife Service agents intercepted the packages then posed as customers and ordered dozens more spiders, including a protected Mexican species.
Prosecutors claim Koppler made $300,000 by selling spiders to people in dozens of countries.
Koppler remains jailed. If convicted of wildlife smuggling, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.