U.S. gets $2.1M from illegal Russian crab
Apr 20, 2012, 11:35 AM | Updated: 1:22 pm
Under a settlement reached with New-York based Harbor Seafood, Inc., the U.S. government will get $2.1 million dollars in proceeds from the sale of illegal Russian King Crab, the Department of Justice said Friday. (AP file photo)
(AP file photo)
Under a settlement reached with New-York based Harbor
Seafood, Inc., the U.S. government will get $2.1 million
dollars in proceeds from the sale of illegal Russian King
Crab, the Department of Justice said Friday.
The 112 metric tons of illegal crab were imported into the
Port of Seattle in eight separate shipments during
December 2010 and January 2011. It was sold in July 2011
for $2.5 million.
“It was harvested illegally from Russian waters,” said
Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis Franze-Nakamura. “More
specifically, we were under the understanding that the
crab was harvested by vessels that weren’t commissioned by
the Russian government.”
Under a settlement reached in U.S. District court in
Seattle, Harbor Seafood does not admit wrongdoing and will
keep $300,000 in proceeds. The company, which is among the
largest seafood importers in the country, has agreed to
undertake a compliance review.
The investigation was a joint effort by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law
Enforcement, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration.
