Illegal tarantula trader nabbed

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) over the weekend said an information technology specialist was nabbed for illegal possession and sale of P106,000 worth of live tarantulas and pythons in Marikina City.

Rommel de la Cruz, 38, who is scheduled to leave for Canada next month, was charged last 9 October following a raid at his residence in Barangay Tumana by operatives of the Philippine Operations Group on Ivory and Illegal Wildlife Trade (Task Force POGI) under the DENR.

Task Force POGI is a team of wildlife law enforcers from various agencies, including the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) and the National Bureau of Investigation-Environmental Crime Division (NBI-ECD).

De la Cruz was arrested after receiving marked money from NBI-ECD agents who posed as buyers of a pair of tarantulas he was selling.

After searching the residence, the task force found in De la Cruz’s possession 11 more tarantulas of different breeds.

Seized were Brazilian Whiteknee (Acanthoscurria geniculata), Mexican Golden Redrump (Brachypelma albiceps), Mexican Pink (Brachypelma Klaasi), Mexican Redleg (Brachypelma emilia), Chilean Rose (Grammostola rosea) and Bolivian Redrump (Acanthoscurria chacoana).

BMB senior ecosystems management specialist Rogelio Demellentes Jr. said De la Cruz was already set to leave for Canada to start a job.

“He was selling off all the tarantulas at a discounted price of P20,000 so he could buy his plane ticket,” Demellentes said, adding that each tarantula could sell at P1,500 in the black market.

The task force also recovered from De la Cruz five ball pythons (Python reguis), which he was selling at a wholesale price of P86,000.

The ball python, also known as the royal python, is named for its habit of curling itself up into a tight ball.

NBI-ECD chief Czar Eric Nuqui said De la Cruz was unable to present any permit or document proving that he was authorized to possess and trade wildlife species.

He said De la Cruz could be held liable for violating the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act. Under the law, violators could face a jail term of up to 12 years and a fine of not more than P1 million.