LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A German national
who shipped hundreds of live tarantulas into the United States
through the mail has pleaded guilty to a federal smuggling
charge, prosecutors said.
In pleading guilty on Tuesday, 37-year-old Sven
Koppler admitted mailing some 247 live tarantulas to federal
agents in Los Angeles, who were posing as buyers as part of
an investigation dubbed "Operation Spiderman."
Koppler further admitted sending the agents
22 Mexican red-kneed tarantulas, a species of spider formally
known as Brachypelma smithi that is protected under an international
treaty.
Koppler, who lives in Wachtberg, Germany, faces
a maximum of 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced
on April 11, U.S. Attorney's spokesman Thom Mrozek said.
Authorities say the investigation into Koppler
began in March, when a routine inspection turned up about
300 live tarantulas in a package he mailed to Los Angeles.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents ordered
more spiders from Koppler and were sent a total of five packages
containing dozens of live and dead tarantulas.
He was arrested on December 2 after arriving
in Los Angeles to meet with an associate.
Koppler received about $300,000 as a result
of tarantula sales to spider fanciers in dozens of countries,
including nine in the United States, according to court documents.
The Mexican red-kneed tarantula, which is native
to Mexico, can grow to about 4 inches long, with a leg span
of 6 inches, and has a dark body with orange patches on the
legs, giving it the "red-kneed" appearance.
The spiders are considered docile and females
can live for more than 20 years.
The Brachypelma genus of spider is protected
by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
because it is considered threatened, and can only be legally
traded with permits from the exporting country.
