10,000 shark fins worth over $11M seized in major wildlife trafficking bust in Peru

U.S. authorities have assisted the Peruvian government in seizing an estimated 10,000 individual shark fins destined for China – one of the largest wildlife trafficking operations in Latin American history.

The bust, on Nov. 10 at an industrial port outside of Lima, led to the arrest of three men tied to a transnational criminal network involved in illegal fishing and wildlife smuggling, according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

U.S. authorities recently assisted the Peruvian government in seizing an estimated 10,000 individual shark fins destined for China. United States Embassy, Peru

The cruelty behind the shark fin trade is well-documented. Shark finning often involves slicing fins off live sharks and discarding the mutilated animals back into the ocean, where the