House Arrest For Scorpion Smuggling Metuchen Man: Feds

METUCHEN, NJ — A Metuchen man will spend six months on house arrest after he smuggled shipments of live protected scorpions, giant millipedes and other species into the country, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said o Tuesday.

Wlodzimie Lapkiewicz, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of one count of smuggling wildlife, after he snuck the bugs into the country over a three-year span, Carpenito said. Lapkiewicz smuggled a variety of invertebrate species, including emperor and dictator scorpions, which are both considered endangered species.

Investigators discovered the alleged smuggling when live scorpions and giant millipedes escaped while in transit from Tanzania in July 2015, Carpenito said.

Lapkiewicz used social media to arrange buyers for the bugs, and went to lengths to hide them from customs agents by mislabeling the boxes. One box was even labeled "Plush Toys for my Friends Child about to be born."