Man Gets 6 Months In Federal Prison For Smuggling Tarantulas

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A German man has been sentenced in Los Angeles to six months in federal prison for bringing hundreds of tarantulas into the United States by mail.

KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou Reports

U.S. District Judge S. James Otero sentenced 37-year-old Sven Koppler of Wachtberg, Germany, on Monday. Koppler also must pay $4,000 in fines and will be placed on three years of probation.

Koppler earlier this year pleaded guilty to one count of smuggling goods into the U.S.

Federal prosecutors say Koppler mailed more than 240 live tarantulas from Germany to Los Angeles last year. Fish and Wildlife Service agents intercepted the packages then posed as customers and ordered dozens more spiders, including a protected Mexican species.

Authorities say Koppler made nearly $350,000 by selling spiders to people in dozens of countries.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

In:
• Germany