- Customs officers made a significant discovery during an inspection of a commercial shipment of frozen fish fillets – they found 270 fish bladders hidden within.
- Further analysis through DNA testing confirmed that these bladders belonged to the endangered fish species known as Totoaba.
- These bladders are highly prized as a delicacy and the estimated value of the seized shipment is around $2.7 million.
According to a recent statement by Customs and Border Protection, customs officers in the United States found 242 pounds of swim bladders cleverly hidden within a commercial shipment of frozen fish fillets.
These fish bladders, which play a crucial role in regulating buoyancy, are considered delicacies and possess medicinal properties in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The estimated value of the 270 seized bladders is a staggering $2.7 million.
Although the seizure took place in April, the news was only recently announced by Customs and Border Protection. Further examination through DNA testing revealed that the bladders belonged to an endangered species called Totoaba macdonaldi, native to the Gulf of California in Mexico.
Totoaba fish are protected under the Endangered Species Act in the United States and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Customs and Border Protection stated, “This seizure is believed to be the second largest of its kind in the United States and the largest Totoaba seizure in Arizona thus far.”
In 2019, Quartz reported that the Totoaba market is so lucrative that authorities suspect the involvement of the Sinaloa cartel.
These swim bladders can be sold for prices ranging from $20,000 to $80,000 per kilogram, making them as valuable as gold or cocaine. A search warrant affidavit from 2019 revealed information received by US authorities about cartel members infiltrating the Totoaba trade.
The bladders were discovered at the Mariposa trade facility in Arizona and have since been handed over to the US Fish and Wildlife Service by the customs officers.
Both the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Homeland Security Investigations are currently conducting an investigation into this smuggling attempt and may press charges.
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