In a major haul, a large consignment of around 1000 kg of sea cucumber, an endangered marine species worth Rs 60-80 lakh in the international market has been seized at Imphal airport, forest department officials said today.
Port Blair-based businessman Sikander Singh Gill was trying to smuggle 25 bags containing approximately 1000 kg of sea cucumber from Andaman and Nicobar islands to Burma, Manipur's divisional forest officer D K Vinod Kumar told PTI from Imphal.
Sea Cucumbers are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Gill was caught by the forest department officials at Imphal's Tuhilal airport and handed over to the police.
Kumar said the consignment came from Andaman and reached Imphal via Kolkata and was meant to be smuggled into Burma from the Moreh border route.
The material seized is estimated to be worth Rs 60-80 lakh in the international market.
"This is for the first time that we have caught such a big consignment. The matter has been conveyed to Andaman Forest Department and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau for further investigation," the DFO said.
Mostly distributed in the Asia-Pacific region, sea cucumbers are a coral reef species which is over-exploited for food as it is a star delicacy in many south east Asian nations.
