750 kg processed sea cucumber seized off TN coast

Police with the seized sea cucumber off the Tamil Nadu coast. ANI/Twitter photo.

Processed sea cucumber weighing about 750 kg and worth around Rs 80 lakh, meant to be smuggled to Sri Lanka was seized on Saturday off Mandapam coast and three persons arrested in this connection, Marine police said.

A patrolling team found the sea cucumber stuffed in sacks in a country boat anchored in the sea and arrested the trio, they said. Sea cucumbers are classified as endangered species and their harvest is banned under the Wildlife Protection Act. These are in great demand in South-East Asian countries.