Skin-crawling moment more than 140 tarantulas found hidden in CHESS SET by customs officers

HORROR video captures the moment airport authorities opened a suitcase containing more than 140 tarantulas. The creepy crawlies were being illegally smuggled through customs, but 12 died after being stuffed into plastic bags without proper ventilation. ReutersAuthorities discovered more than 140 tarantulas hidden in a chess set[/caption] AFPThe creepy crawlies were found by customs officials at Bogota Airport, Colombia[/caption] ReutersThey were concealed in a package bound for Mexico City[/caption] Authorities at Bogota Airport in Colombia found the spiders hidden in a chess set bound for Mexico City. They were due to be sold illegally in pet stores, according to Colombian news outlet La Vanguardia. The Colombian environmental agency said it worked with police to recover “more than 140 tarantulas that were to be sent from El Dorado International Airport to a Central American country. Officials received a tip-off after a delivery company reported discovering “strange objects” during screening procedures at the airport’s cargo terminal. READ MORE ON WORLD TERMINAL TYRANT New clues Putin may have CANCER or Parkinson’s amid health mystery CRUISE HORROR Mystery as ‘Brit throws himself overboard’ on new Virgin cruise ship “When the professionals from the Environment Secretariat and members of the (National Police’s) Environmental and Ecological Unit arrived at the place to inspect the cargo, they determined that 143 tarantulas of the infraorder mygalomorphae were camouflaged inside a chess set,” authorities said in a statement. 12 of the 143 spiders died after being transported in plastic bags inside the chess set without proper ventilation. “The shipment, whose final destination was Mexico City, lacked the respective environmental permits and licenses [necessary for] the use, transport or sale of that wildlife,” the statement added. “Environmental and police authorities have launched investigations to determine the sender and recipient and thereby begin the respective punitive processes.” Most read in News NIGHTMARE Total DISASTER for 'weaker than ever' Putin as Ukraine invasion 'falls apart' FOOL'S GOLD Best April Fools jokes & pranks as they happened - how many did you spot? COP OUT Married Met Police officer admits sex act in London park & blames it on STRESS TERMINAL TYRANT New clues Putin may have CANCER or Parkinson’s amid health mystery 'NO CHANCE' My son was expelled from school aged FOUR - he's been stuck at home for months MOWED DOWN Mum, 25, with son in car ran over shop worker & carried him on bonnet for 50ft The surviving spiders were taken for medical, nutritional, and biological care at Bogota’s Centre for the Assessment and Rehabilitation of Wild Flora and Fauna. It isn’t yet known where the spiders were taken from, and authorities want to find out which facility they belong to before deciding whether to release them into the wild or relocate them. Colombia is one of the diverse countries on earth, home to tens of thousands of species, which makes it incredibly attractive to illegal wildlife traffickers. In November last year, authorities caught two German citizens trying to smuggle more than 300 creatures out of the country via El Dorado Airport. Some 232 spiders, nine spider eggs, eight scorpions, and 67 cockroaches were seized hidden in more than 200 plastic containers amid rolls of photographic film. Colombian animal conservation law includes criminal penalties and hefty fines. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, tarantulas are illegally sold to meet demand in the pet trade, due to their tameness and colourful appearance. ReutersThe spiders were due to be sold illegally in pet stores[/caption] AFPThey are now being held while authorities decide whether to release them[/caption] AFPSmuggling wildlife can carry a hefty prison sentence in Colombia[/caption] While pet spiders might not be to everyone’s taste, one Brit is such a fan he lives with 120 tarantulas. Arachnophile Aaron Phoenix, 34, has spent around £1,000 on buying 80 different species, some of which have a leg span as big as 10 inches. They all have their own enclosure in his spare room in Bristol and he will tend to them every morning and night with food and water. House removal contractor Aaron said: “They’re my passion and obsession. I find them fascinating.  “I could sit and watch them for hours. They’ve had an incredible effect on me and I’ll never give up owning tarantulas now. “They all have their individual quirks. One of my first girls comes up to the top of the enclosure when I drop food in and does this little happy dance to say thank you. Read More on The Sun 'SCUM!' Jim Carrey slammed for 'sexually assaulting' Alicia Silverstone when she was 19 MOWED DOWN Mum, 25, with son in car ran over shop worker & carried him on bonnet for 50ft “Another runs to the lid to greet you whenever you walk into the room – it’s beautiful to watch. “People’s reactions are fantastic. They can’t believe it!”