STORY: :: A spider smuggler arrested in Turkey is said to be a curator at the American Museum of Natural History

:: Istanbul, Turkey

:: Police said the spiders’ poisons can be milked for making medicine worth $10 million per liter

:: May 13, 2024

Police arrested the suspect at Istanbul Airport on Sunday and seized dozens of bags from his luggage containing some 1,500 scorpions and spiders, including tarantulas, as well as dozens of plastic bottles containing unspecified liquids, police said.

The state-owned Anadolu news agency reported the suspect was Lorenzo Prendini, a curator at the historic U.S. museum, without specifying a source.

The American Museum of Natural History did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Prendini could not be reached.