Federal police said a patrol had stopped the vehicle, which was uninsured, near the border city of Aachen on Monday. They said the bats were found underneath around a ton of fish.
What more do we know about the incident?
The bats and fish were confiscated after a vet from the local consumer protection office inspected the scene. Police also seized the uninsured van.
Police said in a statement that the 31-year-old driver, an Ivorian citizen, was now facing a criminal complaint for traffic offenses. He is also being investigated for entering the country without papers or a driver's license, they said.
He is being held in custody at the order of an Aachen court pending being handed over to authorities in Italy, which is where he is registered as a resident.
Bats, mostly fruit bats, are eaten by people in many countries of the world, including China, Vietnam and Indonesia.
