Customs seize 18 smuggled bear paws on freight train to China

A total of 18 brown bear paws were seized by customs in the latest attempt to smuggle such goods to China. The paws have big value on the black market and are coveted for traditional medicine a cure-all for a variety of ailments from sexual impotency to treating fevers. 

Chinese citizens face jail for smuggling yet the threat seemingly does not reduce the demand or frighten the criminals. Vyacheslav Tsyrempilov, deputy head of the customs post ZHDPP Zabaikalsk, said: 'This is not the first case of attempt to smuggle the paws of a bear.

'In the last three months on our customs post revealed three such attempts. A total of 31 bear paws have been detained, with a total weight of 40 kilograms.' 

For the latest batch, five bears must have been illegally killed. 

In May 2015 at the customs post were found seven bear paws, which had been concealed in the train carriage with ore concentrate. In June, six bear paws were found in a carriage with timber. 

One of the largest batches of bear paws ever seized was found by Chinese customs concealed in tyres in May 2013. Two Russian citizens tried to smuggle through the Russian-Chinese border 213 bear paws.