The best thing: German Customs is in the Fediverse. Their post: https://social.bund.de/@Zoll/114851460544943879
Their account: https://social.bund.de/@Zoll
And I think they take questions.
this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2025
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And that's tonight's nightmare fuel.
Customs officials found the shipment at Cologne Bonn airport in a package that had arrived from Vietnam, tipped off by a "noticeable smell" that didn't resemble the expected aroma of the seven kilograms of the confectionery treats, Cologne customs office spokesman Jens Ahland said.
Anyone care to guess what that smell might have been?
@fossilesque@mander.xyz Bug expertise?
I am a beetle girl, arachnids give me the heebies.
An evolutionarily reasonable reaction!
But how long was it, how much more of this would they have to endure, or could they endure? The breathlessness of the air was growing as they climbed; and now they seemed often in the blind dark to sense some resistance thicker than the foul air.
As they thrust forward they felt things brush against their heads, or against their hands, long tentacles, or hanging growths perhaps: they could not tell what they were. And still the stench grew. It grew, until almost it seemed to them that smell was the only clear sense left to them, and that was for their torment. One hour, two hours, three hours: how many had they passed in this lightless hole? Hours - days, weeks rather. Sam left the tunnel-side and shrank towards Frodo, and their hands met and clasped, and so together they still went on.
At length Frodo, groping along the left-hand wall, came suddenly to a void.
Almost he fell sideways into the emptiness. Here was some opening in the rock far wider than any they had yet passed; and out of it came a reek so foul, and a sense of lurking malice so intense, that Frodo reeled. And at that moment Sam too lurched and fell forwards.
Fighting off both the sickness and the fear, Frodo gripped Sam's hand. 'Up!' he said in a hoarse breath without voice. 'It all comes from here, the stench and the peril. Now for it! Quick!'
Calling up his remaining strength and resolution, he dragged Sam to his feet, and forced his own limbs to move. Sam stumbled beside him. One step, two steps, three steps - at last six steps. Maybe they had passed the dreadful unseen opening, but whether that was so or not, suddenly it was easier to move, as if some hostile will for the moment had released them. They struggled on, still hand in handβ¦
β J.R.R. Tolkien. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Bugs, yo. They don't exactly smell like cake.
Tarantulas aren't supposed to smell, from what I read.
Guarantee not all of them made it. And I kept feeder insects for my lizard. A whiff of dead bugs made me gag every time.
Yeah gotta be this. Decaying arthropod smell is pretty gnarly
It says in the article that many died during transport.
I didn't know smuggling tarantulas was so dangerous
It says in the article that many died during transport. Dead spiders smell. Large dead spiders packed in a box with dozens of other large dead spiders would stink.
However, it's my understanding that most international mail gets x-rayed as standard when passing through customs. This is the case in Australia where I live. So even before the smell, this package would have been on the radar for inspection.
Is it cake or is AAAAHHHHHHH OH DEAR JESUS FUCK WHY!!!!!
... why?
Some people have strange taste in pets.
Oh, nothing strange about that, but... is the market for pet tarantulas THAT big?! Damn!
Could also be they expect a part to not survive. And if the price to buy/source them is very low compared to the price they can be sold for, that might also make it attractive to smuggle more. But still, can imagine it takes a while to sell 1,500 spiders.
Good point, even if, like, half of them were to be DOA, that's still a lotta friggin' tarantulas...
Cunts illegally importing exotic species with no shits given for their welfare, for the pet trade.
Mum had a specific wish for all of those who hurt animals: "I hope they get exactly what they gave to that poor soul."
They're expensive little beasts. There's a local pet shop that sells a wide variety and I would only be able to afford the tiny ones pictured.
All new season of "Is it Cake or Is It Full of Spiders?".
You'll be crawling to your TV screen! New this season we watch contestants take a bite out of their selections to find out which is which.
Poor things :(
I'm gonna go ahead and drive to Europe instead I think.
Zeit fΓΌr ne weitere Zoll Doku!
You're looking for drugs and suddenly there's spiders everywhere. You'd think that only happens to junkies.
Actually, is it ever spiders or just always bugs? Anyway...
Aaaargh! They're under my skin! [sound of skin being scratches bloody] Argh! AAAAARGH!