By
The Associated Press
Six people were arrested Tuesday in New York on charges of illegally importing goose and duck intestines from China, in some cases hiding them under packaged rattlesnakes or mislabeling them as pet grooming products on customs forms, federal officials announced.
The smuggling scheme, which also
included illegal imports of duck blood
and hawthorn fruit, involved transporting the restricted foods from China to California and from there to New York, where they are sold to customers, including restaurants, authorities said in documents. presented on Monday.
Photo from November 2022 provided by the prosecutor's office of the packages with goose and duck intestines from China.
Associated Press
The six detainees, who were expected to appear in federal court in Brooklyn, are accused of importing, storing and selling hundreds of pounds of illegal food between August 2022 and May 2023. Messages seeking comment were sent to their attorneys. .
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Federal law prohibits the import of any raw poultry products from China.
Chinese hawthorn fruit is also restricted
, officials said.
According to the complaint, 1,966 boxes of goose and duck intestines were shipped in August 2022 from China to the port of Long Beach, California, where they were identified as nail clippers and other pet grooming products on customs forms.
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The boxes were then dropped off at Los Angeles International Airport and flown to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York via the cargo service of a
major U.S. airline
, federal authorities said.
November 2022 photo provided by the prosecutor's office of packages with rattlesnakes. Associated Press
Another shipment of illegal poultry products in November 2022 was incorrectly labeled as frozen seafood, and some of the restricted items were
hidden under packages of dead rattlesnakes
, according to authorities.