Federal wildlife inspectors say cargo hubs serving Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky were among the ports where suspicious shipments of dried shark fins were intercepted last year, part of a multi-state probe that pulled roughly 50,000 individual dried fins out of U.S. commerce. Officials say the boxes were mislabeled and headed for Hong Kong.
Investigation Tracked 20 Shipments Nationwide
According to WLWT, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says inspectors first uncovered the scheme when they discovered a shipment in Anchorage, Alaska, then traced a network of 20 shipments that were later stopped at ports including Louisville and Cincinnati. WLWT reports the seized cargo weighed more than 1,600 pounds and was valued at over $1 million. The station says the fins were disguised as car parts and were traveling from Mexico to Hong Kong.
Federal Records List Specific Counts
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service forfeiture notice filed on Dec. 10, 2025, lists an Oct. 23, 2025, seizure in Louisville that included 1,478 bigeye thresher shark fins and dozens of silky shark fins, and it initiates forfeiture proceedings for the shipment. The notice cites the federal statutes at issue and instructs anyone claiming ownership of the cargo to file with the agency…