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Grisly cargo seized of 4,000 mink furs, half a tonne of bear paws, and mammoth tusk

By 0 and 0 and 0
27 July 2016

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The total value of the undeclared goods was more $620,000. Picture: Khabarovsk Custom

A boat was seized containing 525 bears paws - worth almost $500,000 - along with 3 978 mink furs, 2.4 kilograms of jade and a 4 kg fragment of mammoth tusk. It was due to sail from the port of Khabarovsk to Tongjiang city in the Heilongjiang province of China. 

A man from Khabarovsk was arrested and charged with two counts of smuggling.

Federal Security Service (FSB) agents and customs investigators teamed up to smash the illicit operation. The goods were sealed and hidden inside several huge bags with labels written in Chinese. 

The mink was estimated at worth around $150,000. The detainee confessed  to having other goods stored for a future sailing to China. At his house, hidden inside the parking lot, he had bags packed with 525 bears paws.

A boat was seized containing 525 bears paws - worth almost $500,000 - along with 3 978 mink furs, 2.4 kilograms of jade and a 4 kg fragment of mammoth tusk.


A boat was seized containing 525 bears paws - worth almost $500,000 - along with 3 978 mink furs, 2.4 kilograms of jade and a 4 kg fragment of mammoth tusk.
Illegal export was heading to China. Pictures: Khabarovsk Custom


Experts later confirmed these were from both brown and Himalayan bears. He also had a fragment of a mammoth tusk weighing more than 4 kg. 

The value of the bear paw haul was put at $485,000.

Both brown and Himalayan bears are listed as endangered species in the Russian Far East. In China bears paws considered to be a delicacy. 

Some restaurants offer them as soups or a barbecue, with one dish costing as much as $1,000.

The total value of the undeclared goods was more $620,000.

Comments (5)

This is absolutely disgusting! They all deserve Lifelong jail time! А вообще, перемешать вас всех надо, уроды, из-за таких как вы мне СТЫДНО быть русской!
Elena, Brisbane
01/08/2016 06:06
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Shame on the people who don't know how to look good in their own skin and shame on the ones who can't find a more honorable way to make money and shame on the animals abusers!
sheila stutz, Jackson Michgian
01/08/2016 03:14
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I agree with Andres and Benedikt. We absolutely have to bring to justice all of the people involved in these horrific illegal operations on both the supply and the consumption sides.
Pamela Tetarenko, League City, USA
28/07/2016 17:33
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as abd as my comment is, most probably one customs office was unhappy withe bribe, so others could -find- the heist.....
Benedikt, Moscow
28/07/2016 09:46
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Jail for the poacher, but an equal jail term for the consumers!

That requires the consumer side, the Chinese, to acknowledge their role. Maybe not easy to achieve, just look at the USA denying that their millions of drug addicts have any fault for the massive drug influx into their country.
Andres Suarez, Cancun, Mexico
28/07/2016 06:31
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