Web India 123 , Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Correspondent :

Coastal Security Group of Tamil Nadu Marine Police foiled a bid to smuggle 200 kilograms of sea cucumbers, an endangered marine species to Sri Lanka and arrested one person at Devipattinam seashore, here today. Police said acting on specific inputs, the Marine police team conducted a thorough search along the Devipattinam seashore and recovered sea cucumbers kept in three plastic containers inside a car, which was parked near the seashore. One Mohammed Naheem (27) was arrested for attempting to smuggle them to Sri Lanka in a clandestine boat. Investigations revealed that he procured the sea cucumbers from the local fishermen. The seized Sea Cucumbers were valued at Rs 20 lakh in the International market. Sea Cucumbers are in great demand in countries like China, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, not only as delicacy but also used for preparing traditional medicines. Poaching and trading of these marine species, listed in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 was banned in India and several foreign countries.

SOURCE : http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20170619/3128806.html