Spiders flown from Indonesia that were deceitfully declared as “hairclips” were confiscated by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Pampanga.
The BOC-Port of Clark reported that it intercepted 178 spiderlings flown via airplane, which were suspiciously declared an inanimate object by the consignee.
The parcel, which was bound for Valenzuela City, contained 157 vials of live spiders, while 21 held deceased specimens.
The BOC said the creatures were immediately turned over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (DENR-PENR).
The bureau said the attempted smuggling violates the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act in relation to R.A. No. 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.
“The BOC’s commitment of preventing smuggling is similarly essential in safeguarding wildlife and maintaining national biosecurity and ecological balance,” Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said.
The bureau said it remains vigilant against all forms of smuggling, including wildlife trafficking.
Meanwhile, the deceitful declaration of the spiders as “hairclips” caught some Filipinos’ attention.
“Wow, gumagalaw na hair accessory,” an online user commented.
“Wth! Ano ano nalang talaga naiisip ng mga kupal,” another Pinoy wrote.
Last year, the BOC intercepted an outbound shipment of tarantulas to South Korea that had been misdeclared as “snacks—sweet salted fish.”
In 2022, the authorities also intercepted spiderlings and tarantulas bound for Dubai that were declared as “Facial Skin Set/Quick Fix Mattefier.”
