Six individuals were arrested in New York on Tuesday for allegedly illegally importing goose and duck intestines from China. The scheme involved concealing the items under packaged rattlesnakes or mislabeling them as pet grooming products on customs forms.

The group also smuggled duck blood and hawthorn fruit. These items were transported from China to California and then to New York, where they were sold to various customers, including restaurants. The six individuals are charged with importing, storing, and selling hundreds of pounds of illegal food items between August 2022 and May 2023.

Federal law prohibits the importation of raw poultry products from China, and hawthorn fruit from China is also restricted. The smuggled goods were disguised as nail clippers and pet grooming products on customs forms, and in one instance, they were concealed under packages of dead rattlesnakes.