A scorpion smuggling ring has been smashed and four men will appear in court after raids on Queenstown and Arrowtown homes, police say.
The men, all aged under 30, are charged with breaches of the Biosecurity Act 1993 after six live black rock scorpions (Urodacus manicatus) were allegedly smuggled from Australia through Christchurch International Airport and then to Queenstown.
Three of the men are expected to appear in the Queenstown District Court on October 7 and the other man in the Christchurch District Court on a date to be arranged.
The maximum penalty for each of the charges is five years' prison, or a fine of $100,000.
The men were arrested after a Ministry for Primary Industries operation, codenamed ''Operation Rock''.
The ministry received information in April a Queenstown man was in possession of a scorpion. A search was carried out and one live scorpion was discovered.
Further investigations, including obtaining cellphone records, suggested more scorpions were involved. Two houses in Queenstown and Arrowtown were searched.
Questioning indicated four men were involved in the smuggling ring, the ministry said yesterday. All of the scorpions had been destroyed.
Scorpions are restricted organisms as defined by the Biosecurity Act 1993 and, as such, are unauthorised goods if outside a containment facility without the authority of an inspector.
South Island compliance manager John Slaughter said such incidents were among the worst of their kind and could have had serious biosecurity implications had the scorpions escaped.
''In the very worst-case scenario, an illegally introduced organism could have truly catastrophic effects on New Zealand's primary and tourism industries,'' he said.
''We have expert advice that these scorpions could survive in the New Zealand climate, so it's safe to say that we view this as an exceptionally stupid thing to do.''
Otago Museum entomologist Anthony Harris said the impact of the scorpions on New Zealand's biodiversity would need to be looked at carefully, but the creatures ''could potentially be quite a pest'' if they escaped into the wild.
The black rock scorpion is dark-coloured, grows up to 55mm in length and is often found living under rocks and logs across Australia.
Its sting can cause inflammation and pain for several hours. It can survive for eight years or more in the wild.
