Fish Story: Man Sued in S.F. Court For Allegedly Smuggling Endangered Species Into U.S., Passing Them Off As Big Goldfish

Catch of the day -- a Red Arowana

Is that an Asian Arowana in your pants or are you just happy to see us?

That's not how court proceedings commenced in the case of United States vs. Bin Lin Huang -- but it could have. San Francisco U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello this month filed suit against Huang, accusing him of smuggling 26 Asian arowana fish from China and Southeast Asia into the United States, selling them for between $1,000 and $10,000 a pop, and telling U.S. Fish and Wildlife Inspectors the fish were koi (which go for a couple hundred bucks each and can be found in any number of outdoor ponds near you).

By the way, it seems the folks who pay top dollar for the rare fish are happy just to collect -- and not sautee -- them; an article here details the painstaking steps required to legally import the arowana (albeit to Canada) and the high prices they'll fetch. 

Huang, incidentally, did not allegedly smuggle the creatures in his pants but in a box -- which, the suit alleges, he represented as Australian arowanas or, in other instances, garden-variety koi.

The alleged smuggler is charged with three felony counts: smuggling and aiding and abetting (naturally), forfeiture, and false statements. If convicted, court papers indicate he could face a maximum of 25 years in prison and a half a million dollars in fines.

The court will not accept 50 arowanas in lieu of payment.

Photo   |   Ginkgo100

H/T   |   CourthouseNews.com