U.S. law enforcement authorities announced the dismantling of a Chinese drug and wildlife trafficking ring and the seizure of millions of dollars in cash, valuables, drugs and weapons.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service first suspected illegal shark fin imports and exports through the Savannah seaport in 2015, and a subsequent investigation found that a gang led by California resident Terry Xing Zhao Wu illegally exported at least 5,670 kilograms of dried shark fins to Hong Kong between 2016 and 2017, a U.S. federal prosecutor said at a news conference called Thursday (Sept. 3, 2020) in Savannah, Georgia.
In order to make a bowl of shark fin soup, sharks were brutally cut and thrown back into the sea to drown, prosecutors told a news conference.
In Hong Kong and some other parts of Asia, shark fin soup is considered a delicacy. The demand from diners fuels the illegal killing of sharks.
In an effort to dismantle the Chinese gang, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, along with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), identified the group as operating as a drug trafficking and money laundering operation for a Mexican drug cartel.
Federal prosecutors filed charges against 12 individuals in connection with the Chinese crime ring. Law enforcement officials said related enforcement actions are continuing.
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