A 28-year-old man was arrested at Cape Town International Airport after officers found 150 live venomous scorpions hidden in his checked luggage.
Specific tip-offs triggered an intelligence-led operation by the Kuils River Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit and Cape Nature, which tracked the suspect in the terminal before searching his bags.
The scorpions were individually wrapped in plastic bags and concealed among clothing; authorities said the seizure underscored the scale of illegal wildlife trafficking and its ecological damage.
Police charged the suspect under the Nature and Environmental Ordinance Act for possessing wild animals without permits, and he is due in Bellville Magistrate's Court on June 15.
The scorpions were moved to a specialized facility for safekeeping while investigators continue to examine the case and the shipment's black-market value.