HONG KONG: Yesterday, a man was arrested at the Hong Kong airport after customs found 30 kilos of “suspected” European eels – which are critically endangered – in the incoming passenger’s two pieces of check-in luggage. The man was arriving from Lisbon, Portugal via Dubai.
Baby eels are a delicacy in Japan and European countries like France and the UK. According to a 2013 Telegraph article, the cost of baby eels have hit GBP4 (HKD43) for a 20-gram portion in the past.
The eels, which appear to be baby ones, found in the man’s luggage. Photo: Customs
Any person found guilty of importing endangered species without a permit or license can be hit with a maximum fine of HKD5 million and two years’ imprisonment.
