NEW YORK: Six people were arrested in New York on Tuesday on charges of illegally importing goose and duck intestines from China, in some cases by hiding them under packaged rattlesnakes or mislabeling them as pet grooming products on customs forms, federal officials announced.
The scheme, which also included illegal imports of duck blood and hawthorn fruit, involved transporting the restricted food items from China to California and then on to New York, where they were sold to customers, including restaurants, authorities said in a complaint filed Monday.
The six, who were expected to appear in federal court in Brooklyn later Tuesday, are charged with importing, storing and selling hundreds of pounds of illegal food items between August 2022 and May 2023. Messages seeking comment were sent to their attorneys.
Federal law prohibits importing any raw poultry products from China, and hawthorn fruit from China is also restricted, the authorities said.
