Illegally imported goose intestines hidden under rattlesnakes, federal authorities say

NEW YORK — Six people were arrested Tuesday in New York on charges of illegally importing goose and duck intestines from China, in some cases by hiding them under packaged rattlesnakes or mislabeling them on customs forms as pet care products, federal officials announced .

The scheme, which also included the illegal import of duck blood and hawthorn fruit, involved transporting the restricted food products from China to California and then to New York, where they were sold to customers including restaurants, authorities said in a complaint filed Monday submitted.

The six, who are expected to appear in federal court in Brooklyn later Tuesday, are accused of importing, storing and selling hundreds of pounds of illegal food products between August 2022 and May 2023. Messages seeking comment were sent to their attorneys sent.

Federal law prohibits the import of raw poultry products from China, and hawthorn fruit from China is also restricted, authorities said.

According to the complaint, 1,966 boxes of goose and duck intestines were shipped from China to the Port of Long Beach in August 2022, where they were identified on customs forms as nail clippers and other pet care products.

The boxes were delivered to Los Angeles International Airport and flown via a major U.S. airline’s cargo service to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, federal officials said.

Another shipment of illegal poultry products in November 2022 was incorrectly labeled as frozen seafood, and some of the restricted items were hidden under packages containing dead rattlesnakes, authorities said.