German customs officials found the hairy, venomous spiders crammed into small plastic containers inside bright-red cake boxes.

The arachnids were found at Cologne Bonn airport after customs officials were tipped off by a "noticeable smell" that did not match the expected aroma of the alleged treats.

Customs officials on Monday released photos from a seizure of roughly 1,500 young tarantulas found inside plastic containers that had been hidden in chocolate spongecake boxes shipped to an airport in western Germany.