Six people were arrested on Tuesday in connection with a conspiracy to transport thousands of pounds of raw goose and duck intestines from China to Los Angeles, then to New York City for sale to restaurants and consumers.
Five of the defendants live in Brooklyn and one in Queens, according to the criminal complaint. They have been accused of importing and selling unlawful products from China.
The criminal complaint alleges that shipments of prohibited items were deceptively labeled. On August 19, 2022, a shipping container arrived in Long Beach, California, from China with the fraudulent statement that it contained “1,966 cartons of pet grooming tool pet nail clippers.”
Federal law prohibits the importation of raw goose and duck intestines from China, as well as duck-blood products from any unapproved Chinese companies. Federal prosecutors stated that the items recovered during the inquiry contained both.
In the August cargo, inspectors discovered 79 cartons containing about 1,800 pounds of unlawful goose intestines and 960 pounds of illegal duck intestines.
The prohibited products were disguised in another shipment under packed rattlesnakes, according to the lawsuit.
“Each defendant was aware of the illegal nature of their actions,” federal prosecutors said. They claimed that USDA officials had previously warned five of the defendants. Investigators fear that other shipments of illegal items have gone undetected.
“Shipment records for the companies involved in the shipments of illegal merchandise described above indicate a broader conspiracy than just the shipments that have been identified to date,” according to the lawsuit.
The six defendants were scheduled to make their first appearance in Brooklyn federal court later Tuesday. It was not immediately known if they had counsel.
