Man pleads guilty to sea cucumber smuggling charge
National News
Federal prosecutors in San Diego say a man has pleaded guilty to charges he smuggled 100 pounds of dried sea cucumber into the United States from Mexico.
Sea cucumbers are leathery-skinned marine animals used in some folk medicine practices.
United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy says Cheng Zhuo Liu (chuhng joo-oh lee-oo), a resident of Chula Vista, admitted to tucking the sea cucumbers into the spare tire area of his car before crossing the border last October.
According to the US attorney's office, their market value was between $5,000 and $10,000.
The particular species Liu had is protected under international trade rules, and requires a permit for import.
Related listings
-
Fla. high court: Immigrant can't get law license
National News 03/07/2014The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that immigrants in the country illegally can't be given a license to practice law. The question was raised when a man who moved here from Mexico when he was 9 years old sought a license in Florida. The court said T...
-
Court weighs securities fraud class-action cases
National News 03/05/2014The Supreme Court is considering whether to abandon a quarter-century of precedent and make it tougher for investors to band together to sue corporations for securities fraud. The justices hear arguments Wednesday in an appeal by Halliburton Co. that...
-
Court: School ban of US flag shirts allowed
National News 02/28/2014A Northern California high school's decision to order students wearing American flag T-shirts to turn the garments inside out during a celebration of the holiday Cinco de Mayo was appropriate, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday. The 9th U.S. Circ...