An international student has been fined $35,000 after trying to smuggle 125 Aussie creepy crawlies out of the country.

Qiran Zhang, a 22-year-old university student from China, was arrested at Sydney International Airport on January 26 after Australian Border Force officers caught him with 34 concealed packages inside his checked-in and carry-on luggage.

The array of insects included carabid beetle, a giant rainforest centipede, a banded desert centipede, banded huntsman spiders and an atlas rainforest beetle.

Among the variety of insects and spiders, 76 were regulated native species.

Under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, exporting native wildlife without a permit is illegal.

Those offenders found guilty could face 10 years of imprisonment and/or a fine u

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