New details have emerged regarding American Natural History Museum Director Lorenzo Prendi, who was detained at Istanbul Airport while trying to smuggle scorpions and tarantulas from Türkiye to the United States.

Prendini also leads the Scorpion Systematics Research Group. The research group has studied three little-known spider species as well as other insects for about 22 years, including whip spiders (Amblypygi), sun spiders (Solifugae) and whip scorpions (Thelyphonida).

Working on cancer cells

Having traveled to more than 30 countries across all continents except Antarctica, the team had recently focused on researching the cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects of the raw venom of scorpions from the Buthidae family on cancer cells.

Last December, the Biology Department team at Mashhad Ferdowsi University started researching the Hottentotta saulcyi scorpion from the Buthidae family with Prendini's team in western and southwestern Iran.

It was determined that the scorpion, carrying the world's deadliest venom, was highly valuable medically.

Prendini, experienced in scorpions, discovered traces of that particular species in Mardin.

Having traveled about 10,000 kilometers last month to Türkiye, Prendini applied to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to seek permission for scientific research. He then began collecting scorpions found in Batman, Şırnak and Hakkâri.

Aware of restrictions

Having traveled thousands of kilometers for the world's most valuable species, Prendini arrived at Istanbul Airport on May 12 to return to the U.S. with the scorpions, despite knowing that the export of endemic flora was prohibited.

Prendini, whose suspicious movements were monitored by cameras, was stopped by four airport police officers and his luggage was searched. They found 88 bottles of scorpion venom, and 58 clip-sealed bags containing about 1,500 poisonous endemic scorpions and tarantulas in Türkiye.

In his statement, he claimed that he collected the animals from various regions of Türkiye but did not know it was forbidden.

Scorpion venom's purpose

Scorpions, with their fossil records dating back 430 million years, are described as living fossils due to their bodies undergoing minimal changes.

Scorpion venom, a complex mixture of toxins with high-level bioactive properties, directly affects the muscle and nerve cells of their prey; scorpion venom peptides also contain toxins that can specifically bind to cancer cells.

Mostly researched for pharmacological use, a liter of medication derived from scorpion venom is worth up to $10 million on the market.