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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Edward Helmore

US museum curator accused of trying to smuggle spider and scorpion samples out of Turkey

a table lines with plastic bags
The various scorpion, tarantula and spider species, endemic to Turkey, in plastic bottles and clip-on bags, found in a smuggling operation in Istanbul on 13 May 2024. Photograph: Bunyamin Çelik/Anadolu via Getty Images

A scorpion and spider expert with the American Museum of Natural History was detained in Istanbul on Monday while allegedly attempting to smuggle samples of both arachnida groups out of Turkey.

Lorenzo Prendini was held by police at Istanbul airport for allegedly trying to take about 1,500 samples out of the country, Turkish media reported.

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