Lima (AFP) – More than 3,000 tarantulas were seized at an airport in Lima before the furry crawlers could be smuggled to Germany, Peruvian authorities told AFP on Thursday.

The spiders were hidden in dirty socks contained in three suitcases carried by two Germans and a Polish citizen, according to the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR).

During a routine customs inspection, agents noticed some unusual wriggling inside the luggage.

"We noticed that some of them were moving. There were small ones and large ones," said Cora Suarez, a SERFOR wildlife control technician.

Just one tarantula can sell for around 500 euros in Europe, Suarez said. That amounts to a potential 1.5 million-euro wildlife trafficking scheme for just one trip.

The hidden arachnids, which came from several regions of the country, were found in varying stages of development, from eggs and hatchlings to adults, Suarez said.

The Europeans accused of smuggling the tarantulas were detained by police specializing in environmental crimes and will face criminal proceedings, SERFOR said.

Illegal wildlife trafficking is a highly lucrative criminal activity that generates around $20 billion annually worldwide, according to Interpol.

Such trafficking is among the primary causes of the loss of biodiversity on the planet.