The U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego, California this week indicted two men who allegedly smuggled around USD 17.5 million (EUR 15.6 million) worth of sea cucumbers into the United States.
David Mayorquin and his, father, Ramon Torres Mayorquin, co-owners of wholesaler Blessing Seafood in Tuscon, Arizona, sold the sea cucumbers to Asian markets. They are charged with conspiracy, false labeling and unlawful importation of wildlife.
A representative for Blessing Seafood, who did not identify herself, said the company has “no comment” on the matter.
Sea cucumbers retail for as high as USD 300 (EUR 267.46) per pound in China and Hong Kong, according to the San Diego Union Tribune.
“Sea cucumbers are taking up quite a bit of our time down at the border,” Erin Dean, resident agent in charge of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southern California region, told the newspaper. “It’s a high-valued commodity that’s being smuggled in small quantities across the border, and then consolidated here in the U.S. and then, we believe, being shipped out to Asia.”
While Blessing Seafood had a permit to sell sea cucumbers, federal authorities said they also operated outside of the law.
The Mayorquins agreed to purchase around USD 13 million (EUR 11.6 million) worth of illicitly harvested sea cucumbers from poachers in the Yucatan Peninsula, according to the indictment. Then, they imported the product and sold it to Asian markets for around USD 17.5 million.
Ramon Torres Mayorquin received the shipments in Tijuana, Mexico, and then smuggled them across the Otay Mesa Port of Entry into San Diego, according to the San Diego Union Tribune. Meanwhile, David Mayorquin organized the sales to China and other countries.
The two men falsified documents and worked with conspirators to bribe Mexican officials, according to the indictment.
