'If you are found to possess...': More than 1,00,000 illegal cockroaches seized in Australia

Australian authorities have seized more than 100,000 illegal exotic cockroaches from a breeder in New South Wales.

Officials said the insects were worth about AU$200,000 (approximately ₹1.3 crore) and included Madagascar hissing cockroaches and dubia cockroaches, two species that are banned in Australia, according to the BBC.

The cockroaches were found at a commercial breeding facility in Bathurst, about 200 kilometres west of Sydney. Authorities said it is the largest seizure of illegal exotic invertebrates ever made in the country.

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Officials say these insects can spread diseases and pose a threat to Australia's native wildlife and agriculture. The cockroaches, which are often used as food for pet reptiles, will now be killed and disposed of.

"We're seeing illegal breeding and trading of exotic cockroaches and we're putting pet businesses and pet owners on notice," a spokesperson for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) said.

"If you are found to possess, breed or trade exotic cockroaches such as dubia cockroaches and Madagascar hissing cockroaches they will be seized and you could face penalties under federal law."

The department also asked reptile owners who use dubia cockroaches as feeder insects to switch to legal options such as crickets and wood roaches.

Madagascar hissing cockroaches are among the biggest cockroach species in the world. They get their name from the hissing sound they make, which is loud enough for people to hear.

Bathurst snake catcher Stefanie Lesser said she had seen the illegal insects being sold online as reptile food, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

"People do have them because they are big, they're sort of like the size of your palm of your hand," she told the ABC.

"They probably are cost-effective, rather than feeding each lizard three or four woodies, which are quite small, you could only give them one."

Authorities said the seizure is a warning to breeders, pet businesses and reptile owners that trading or keeping these exotic cockroach species is against the law.