Biggest-ever smuggling operation of tiger and bear body parts foiled close to Chinese border

A major operation FSB agents and customs officers foiled the smuggling of the poached remains of hundreds of illegally hunted wild animals. 

In an operation ‘out of a movie’, criminals planned to walk across frozen Khanka Lake from Russia to China avoiding customs.

In their haul, FSB operatives found the skins of five highly endangered Amur, or Siberian tigers, along with 867 paws of brown and Asiatic (black) bears. 

They also seized claws and gall bladders, tails and genitals of red deer and other deer, and dozens of kilograms of dried fat and testicles of frogs.

The black market value of the bear paws - used as food delicacies and also traditional treatments in China - was put at $1 million.

Weapons including a Saiga hunting rifle were also found. 

‘A minimum of 216 bears must have been illegally slaughtered to obtain the paws.' Pictures: RusGosNews

The gang comprising Russian and Chinese citizens was seized in the shore of the border lake. Three Chinese and two Russians were detained and face a criminal investigation after what is described as  'the biggest ever smuggling of Amur tiger and bear parts'.

The distance across the frozen freshwater is around 45 kilometres, connecting Russia’s Primorsky region with China’s Heilongjiang province.

In China the lake is known as Xingkai.

‘Thanks to highly coordination and quick actions, the officers of Far East Customs, FSB State Border Service and Far East regional FSB managed to stop the poachers and prevented damaging the evidence of their crime,’ a statement read.

Sergey Aramilev, head of the Amur Tiger Centre said a major smuggling channel had been blocked. 

‘Unfortunately, I can’t disclose all the details of Far East customs officers’ work because of the ongoing criminal investigation, but I am sure that this story one day will turn into a movie script,’ he said.

‘The poachers had been gathering animal body parts for a long time throughout the whole of the Russian Far East. 

‘Two tigers were killed not less than three years ago.

‘Two other tigers – very recently, one of them was killed this winter.’ 

A minimum of 216 bears must have been illegally slaughtered to obtain the paws.

Bear gallbladders and bile are seen as a popular boost to male sexual performance in Asian countries even though such a notion is dismissed by mainstream medics.

They are also used for 'treatments' for cardiac problems, eye puffiness, asthma, cancer, and burns.