comscore California man must pay $500K over fish bladders | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Top News

California man must pay $500K over fish bladders

Honolulu Star-Advertiser logo
Unlimited access to premium stories for as low as $12.95 /mo.
Get It Now

SAN DIEGO » A Sacramento man who smuggled endangered fish bladders into the United States from Mexico to later sell to Asia has been ordered to pay $500,000.

U-T San Diego reports that the restitution ordered Wednesday in federal court in San Diego was well short of the $3 million sought by prosecutors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Pierson said the stiffer punishment was necessary to discourage others from trafficking the swim bladders of Totoaba fish, which are only found in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez.

Jason Xie pleaded guilty to smuggling 270 of the bladders last June.

The fish bladders are prized in China for their purported medicinal properties and can fetch $5,000 to $10,000 apiece on the black market. The demand for Totoaba has contributed to the fish’s critically endangered status.

Comments have been disabled for this story...

Click here to see our full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. Submit your coronavirus news tip.

Be the first to know
Get web push notifications from Star-Advertiser when the next breaking story happens — it's FREE! You just need a supported web browser.
Subscribe for this feature

Scroll Up