In Okinawa, Japanese authorities apprehended three Chinese individuals after they discovered thousands of protected hermit crabs smuggled in luggage, as reported by CNN on Saturday.
Following the discovery of thousands of the protected crustaceans stuffed into several suitcases, the police detained the Chinese suspects.
CNN, referencing local police on the Amami Islands, stated that the three individuals—Liao Zhibin, 24, Song Zhenhao, 26, and Guo Jiawei, 27—were found with 160 kilograms (353 pounds) of live hermit crabs in their possession on Wednesday.
The police received a tip from a hotel employee in Amami, located on Amami Oshima Island, who noticed something unusual about the suitcases that the three men had asked the hotel staff to store.
"They heard rustling sounds coming from a suitcase that was being held in storage," one police officer explained to CNN.
When officers arrived at the hotel, they discovered that the spiral-shelled hermit crabs were crammed into six suitcases, according to the police.
Upon returning to the hotel on Wednesday, law enforcement arrested the three men for possessing the crustaceans without the necessary permits, as reported by Kyodo News and cited by CNN.
It remains uncertain why the three individuals were transporting the hermit crabs.
Although the police did not disclose specific details about the species, they informed CNN on Friday that the confiscated hermit crabs are regarded as "national natural monuments" in Japan due to their cultural and scientific significance, thus making them protected by Japanese law.
According to CNN, the Amami archipelago, located off the southwestern coast of Kyushu and just north of Okinawa, is a favored tourist spot known for its rich diversity of endemic flora and fauna.
Kyodo News noted that authorities suspect the three men might have intended to sell the crabs, which were packed into a total of six suitcases. Furthermore, the police have not disclosed whether the three have confessed to the charges.
