Roughly 1,500 young tarantulas were found inside plastic containers that were stuffed in chocolate sponge cake boxes shipped to an airport in western Germany.

The venomous spiders were found at Cologne Bonn airport three weeks ago after customs officials were tipped off by a "noticeable smell" that did not match the expected aroma of the alleged treats, officials said in a .

"My colleagues at the airport are regularly surprised by the contents of prohibited packages from all over the world but the fact that they found around 1,500 small plastic containers containing young tarantulas in this package left even the most experienced among them speechless," Cologne customs office spokesman Jens Ahland said.

The package has arrived from Vietnam, officials said.

Ahland said it was an "extraordinary seizure" that "saddens us to see what some people do to animals purely for profit."

Officials said most of the tarantulas did not survive the trip, in a suspected violation of German animal welfare rules. The survivors were given into the care of an expert handler.

Ahland told The Associated Press that the estimated value of the shipment is still being assessed.

Criminal proceedings are underway against the intended recipient in the Sauerland region in part for alleged violations of failure to pay the proper import duties and make the proper customs declarations, the office said.

According to the , tarantulas are large, hairy arachnids that average about five inches long as adults, though when spread out, their leg span is up to 11 inches. They can live up to 30 years in the wild, according to .

• Vietnam
• Germany