Exotic spiders, contraband seized at Chennai airport

Based on the information, Customs officials intercepted a postal parcel from Poland on suspicion of containing some arthropod species. The parcel was addressed to a person based at Gajuwaka in Visakhapatnam. On opening the parcel, a thermocol box was found in which 10 small plastic vials wrapped in silver foil and cotton were found. On examination, live spiders were found inside each vial.

The Animal Quarantine officials inspected the spiders and recommended returning the parcel containing the spiders to the country of origin as the import is illegal and there was no DGFT licence and health-related documents of import into India. The spiders were seized under the Customs Act and handed over to the postal authorities to send them back to Poland.

Further, the Chennai Air Customs Postal Appraising Department seized three postal parcels containing 274 grams of ganja and five parcels of MDMA tablets, weighing 92 grams. The parcels that arrived from the Netherlands and the US were seized under provisions of the NDPS Act. Further investigation is in progress.