Authorities reportedly arrested six individuals in New York Tuesday for smuggling duck guts.
Six suspects were charged after allegedly importing illegal goose and duck intestines from China, federal officials announced, according to The Associated Press (AP).
Some duck and goose intestines were reportedly obscured beneath packaged rattlesnakes, while others were falsely called pet grooming products on customs paperwork, authorities said. The suspects are also accused of illegally importing duck blood and hawthorn fruit, the outlet reported.
Six people have been arrested in New York on charges of illegally importing goose and duck intestines from China. Federal authorities said that some of the items were hidden under packaged rattlesnakes or mislabeled as pet grooming products. https://t.co/TOmdgkGRVC
— AP Oddities (@AP_Oddities) March 5, 2024
The suspects allegedly shipped the banned items from China to California, according to the outlet. Once in California, the illegal foods were reportedly sent to New York, where they were sold to customers and some restaurants, a complaint filed Monday states.
The six suspects face federal charges of illegally importing, storing and marketing hundreds of pounds of foodstuffs between Aug. 2022 and May 2023, the AP reported. Raw poultry products and hawthorn fruits originating from China are federally barred from being imported into the United States, authorities said, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Egg Prices Are So High, People Are Turning To International Smuggling)
The complaint says 1,966 cartons of goose and duck intestines were falsely labeled in customs documentation as nail clippers and assorted pet grooming products, then shipped from China to the Port of Long Beach in Aug. 2022, the AP reported. From there, the delivery was sent to Los Angeles International Airport, then flown to New York, according to the outlet. A different shipment of illegal poultry products was reportedly marked incorrectly as frozen seafood in Nov. 2022.
The suspects are scheduled to appear in federal court in Brooklyn on Tuesday, the AP reported.