Elements of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and Bureau of Customs (BoC) at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) on Friday seized contraband dried seahorses and apprehended three Chinese nationals who attempted to slip it out from the country.

The Chinese nationals were identified as Juhua Huang, Quilian Huang and Yueying Cheng, who were bound for Macau, China on an AirAsia flight and tried to smuggle at least 32 kilos of dried seahorses with an estimated value of P650,000.

BFAR Fisheries Inspection and Quarantine Service Chief Randolf Corrales told the Daily Tribune that the three Chinese nationals violated section 27 and 28b of Republic Act 9147, otherwise known as the Wildlife Conservation Act.

In a joint report signed by Mactan Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) Chief Franz Angelo Munoz and Mactan Airport Customs Police Division deputy sector commander Enrico Tamayo, they were able to detect the commodities when the three Chinese nationals were about to check in at the pre-departure of MCIA about 10 a.m. Friday.

Intelligence operatives tipped off Quarantine Fisheries Officer Alexander Montoya that there were suspected contraband fisheries to be slipped out of the country. Immediately, the three Chinese nationals were invited for interrogation by Customs enforcement officers, who yielded the items.

Corrales explained that since the violation was their first offense, the Chinese nationals were fined P15,000.

He cited Rule 131.2 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 10654 or the amended Fisheries Code allows settlement while Resolution 002 of BFAR Adjudication Committee provides that the settlement penalty shall not be lower than 30 percent of the minimum imposable penalty.