Joint media release: Spider smugglers secret stash seized

Minister for the Environment and Water, the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator the Hon Murray Watt

Australia’s hardline stance against illegally imported biosecurity risks has caught out would-be smugglers attempting to sneak potential disease-carrying lizards and spiders into the country.

As a part of Operation Aster, biosecurity officers intercepted packages containing live iguanas and Tarantula spiders secreted inside handbags imported to Australia from Indonesia.

Illegally imported animals may pose a significant biosecurity risk to Australia’s environment, agriculture, and animal and human health, as a pest species themselves or because they carry pests and diseases.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Murray Watt said any breach of Australian biosecurity laws is taken extremely seriously and huge penalties await those who deliberately break the law.

“The Albanese Government is determined to protect Australian agriculture and our environment from biosecurity threats,” Minister Watt said.

“Trying to circumvent our biosecurity laws could result in you facing up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $550,000 for an individual.

“Australia’s biosecurity system includes sophisticated compliance and monitoring activities, which are constantly improving to disrupt deliberate attempts to circumvent Biosecurity import conditions.”

Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek said the protection of our native species relied on keeping exotic animals out of our country.

“The conditions these animals are put through in order to be snuck past our borders are cruel and shameless,” Minister Plibersek said.

“And their introduction into our environment could wreak havoc on our precious native plants and animals.

“That’s why it is so vital that these smugglers are stopped at our borders.”

After DAFF Biosecurity officers detected the animals inside handbags imported from Indonesia in several importations, DAFF investigators executed a search warrant of a property south of Wollongong.

They found numerous cages and tanks housing both exotic and native lizards, snakes, and spiders.

DAFF Biosecurity officers seized several animals—which were listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species—on behalf of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water under national environmental law.  

They were: two Green Iguana, one Rhinoceros Iguana and six Tarantulas.

New South Wales Parks and Wildlife Service also removed several native animals as they lacked the proper permits.

The investigation is ongoing and the penalties for the offending parties are yet to be determined.