by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:38 AM ET, Mon March 18, 2019
Officials working at an airport in Indonesia last week discovered two passengers trying to smuggle over 125,000 lobster seeds through security.
According to The Jakarta Post, agents working at Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Java found four bags left in the baggage handling area and became suspicious. While they found nothing upon sending the luggage through the x-ray machine, a manual search found plastic bags carrying the lobster seeds.
Fish Quarantine and Fishery Quality Control Agency head Rina told The Jakarta Post the seeds were from pearl and sand lobsters and would be used for lobster farming. The seeds had an estimated worth of $1.31 million.
Security officers initially thought the bags destined for Singapore were only filled with clothing, but quickly found the seeds. Unfortunately, agents were unable to find the owners of the luggage, who managed to escape arrest.
If the suspects are discovered and found guilty of their crimes, they could face up to six years in prison and a fine of over $100,000 for seafood smuggling under the 2004 Fisheries Affair Law.
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