A huge haul of 402 shark fins weighing in at 102 kilograms has been seized by Thai customs officials at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
The seizure was conducted during a joint operation between Thailand’s Customs Department and Chinese anti-smuggling authorities on Saturday, 3 May.
Thai customs officials were reportedly tipped off in advance by the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC), which had notified them that goods violating the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) were scheduled to pass through the airport.
The Thai Fisheries Department coordinated an inspection with Thai Airways International and found the fins – worth over 2 million Thai baht (£46,000/$62,000) – contained in packages labelled as ‘dried fish’, which had originating in Trinidad and Tobago and were en route to China.
The discovery was announced by Thai Customs spokesperson Phantong Loykulnanta, who said it was part of an ongoing effort to enforce strict bans on the passage of illegal goods through Thailand, particularly those violating CITES regulations.
‘This seizure sends a clear message that Thailand will not be a transit point for illegal wildlife trade,’ said Phantong. The case has been handed over to the police, who have launched an investigation to identify those responsible for the smuggling operation.
Shark fins are highly prized across Asian markets, particularly in China, where they are used to make shark fin soup, a luxury menu item which is said to have health-boosting properties, including increased virility in men.
There are no scientifically proven benefits that eating shark fins has any beneficial effects, and since the flesh of sharks is known to contain high levels of mercury, consuming shark fin soup may have the exact opposite of its intended effect.
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