Colombia seizes over 4,200 shark fins destined for Asian black market
Colombian police have seized more than 4,200 shark fins destined for the Asian black market in the country's largest confiscation of its kind, authorities announced on Friday.
The fins, valued at approximately $190,000, were discovered hidden inside a seafood business on Colombia's Pacific coast, the AFP reports.
Footage released by the Attorney General's Office showed the mutilated shark fins packed into sacks.
“Evidence indicates that the fins came from more than 1,000 sharks,” prosecutors said in a statement posted on X.
According to police, the shipment was intended to pass through Ecuador before reaching the illegal market in Hong Kong, where shark fins are sought after for their perceived aphrodisiac properties.
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Authorities said the seized fins included those of threatened species such as hammerhead and thresher sharks.
Police arrested William Leonardo de la Cruz, suspected of being one of Colombia's leading shark fin traffickers. Prosecutors charged him with the illegal exploitation of natural resources and wildlife trafficking.
Illegal fishing offences can carry prison sentences of up to nine years in Colombia.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
