Big catch: 8,000 kg shark fins worth ₹3.2cr seized, four exporters arrested

MUMBAI: In one of the biggest cases of shark fin smuggling, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) held four people for the illegal trading of shark fins and seized fins worth ₹3.2 crore, which allegedly were meant for export to China.

The agency seized 3,000 kilograms of fins from a godown at Sewri and 5,000 kilograms from a godown in Veraval, Gujarat. The agency arrested mastermind Sarafat Ali, 39, his brother Hameed, 32, R Ahamed Asik, 34, and R Shivaraman, 28, who are exporters from Chennai. The four run a firm named ‘Global Impex Trading’.

Investigations revealed a chain of persons were involved in the act, from fisherman catching the prized catch, to those who export it to Hong Kong and China. Fins were falsely declared as dried ray skins, dried marine products and fish maw to escape officials.

According to officials, sharks are caught in shark “finning” – a process in which live sharks are caught onto the fishing vessel and fins are sliced. The mutilated fish is thrown back into the sea. With no fins, sharks can’t swim and either starve to death or are eaten by other predators.

“Sarafat Ali is one of the biggest exporters in fins who lives in Singapore one half of the year and in Chennai during the other half. He had appointed his Hameed, an MBA graduate, to look after the operations from Mumbai,” said a senior DRI officer privy to the investigation.

Explaining the modus, the accused said, “The accused sourced the fins from fishermen who venture deep into the Arabian Sea and the Bay and Bengal. The fish was processed in Gujarat, where they were polished, dried and treated before finally being kept in cold storage. It was then stored in Sewri or Gujarat to be sent to Chennai to be exported to Singapore and Hong Kong,” said the officer.

Asik was the document manager of the firm, and the onus of preparing export and transport documents for exports from all the ports and airports was on him. Shivaraman was in-charge of the Sewri godown and would receive and dispatch the fins to Chennai.

The accused were produced before a local court on Monday, and were remanded in judicial custody for fourteen days.

“The stock was seized from the godowns and were not meant for export, as there are no invoices and bill of entries,” said Ravi Hirani, the counsel for the accused.

While there is no local demand for the fins, the DRI said shark fins are used for preparing a Chinese and Vietnamese delicacy called the shark fin soup, which is commonly served at weddings and banquets, and is considered a luxury item in Chinese culture. A bowl of shark fin soup costs $100 and above.

In 2013, the environment ministry, prohibited removal of shark fins on board of a vessel in the sea. In 2014, India became a signatory of Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and listed five more shark species for conservation.