Museum Curator Tried To Smuggle 1,500 Dead Spiders, Scorpions Out Of Turkey

A museum curator who works for the American Museum of Natural History is accused of trying to smuggle 1,500 dead scorpions and spiders out of Turkey.

Lorenzo Prendini, the curator of the museum's spider, scorpion, centipede, and millipede collections, was detained by police at Istanbul Airport after they discovered dead scorpions and spiders in plastic bags and tubes among his belongings. 

According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, scorpion venom is valuable and can be used for medical purposes. One-liter medicine made from the scorpion venom can be worth up to $10 million.

Prendini denied doing anything wrong. He claimed that he had the proper permits from the Turkish government to take the arachnids back to the United States, but he was taken into custody anyway.

"The police completely ignored this and relied on the testimony of an 'expert' who has a conflict of interest with my collaborators … and whose scientific research is highly questionable," Prendini told the Associated Press in an emailed statement. "The police have completely violated due process, and it appears they would like to find me guilty in the court of public opinion."