Image copyright EPA Image caption Colombian authorities have halted a massive spider trafficking trade heading to Germany
Colombia has seized more than 1,500 spider webs bound for Germany, saying the trade is financed by illegal paramilitaries.
The Colombian army seized more than 300 tarantulas and several thousand insects in a suburb outside Bogota.
Colombia is where the trade in spiders is most active, according to the army.
A recent study found Colombia has 15 spider species endemic to the country.
Media playback is not supported on this device Colourful Spider Tale – A Review
More than 500 spiders were found dead on the day of the bust and the army said it had found specimens of arachnids from a number of different species.
Colombia’s National Academy of Science last year warned that species are increasingly being trafficked abroad.
Authorities have seized large quantities of tarantulas several times in recent years and have documented them in the Netherlands, Spain and Italy.