Japanese police do not know what they intended to do with all these crustaceans. Three Chinese nationals aged 24 to 27 were arrested this Wednesday, May 7 on the Amami Islands on Wednesday, near Okinawa (Japan), after hiding thousands of Bernard-L’hermite in their suitcases, says CNN.
In total, the suspects were arrested in possession of 160 kg of crustaceans. Requested by the information chain, the Police have not delivered more details about the species in question, but indicated that the seized Bernard-Lermites are protected by Japanese law and that are classified as “national natural monuments” due to their cultural and scientific value.
Noises emanating from one of the suitcases
The three suspects were arrested after asking a Amami hotel personnel to monitor their bags. “They heard whispers of a suitcase that was stored,” a police officer told CNN. One of the employees warned the environmental authorities.
When two of the three clients returned to the hotel, the police asked them to reveal the content of their luggage. Within its three bags there were approximately 95 kg of Bernard-l’ermite with a spiral housing. The investigation led the police to the third man who, according to her, had 65 kg of these crustaceans in another lot of three suitcases. According to a police spokesman, they were in total in possession of “thousands” of specimens.
When examining “all possibilities,” police said they were investigating to determine if the three men intended to “sell them, keep them as pets or eat them.” According to local media, a Bernard-L’ermite can sell up to 20,000 yen, or around 122 euros.
Source: BFM TV
