CINCINNATI (WKRC) - About 3,700 mitten crabs have been seized as they land in Cincinnati over the past four months. They're coming from China and Hong Kong.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists intercepted the crabs over 51 shipments. They were ultimately headed to a number of states, although CBP says most were going to New York. The crabs sell for about $50 per crab in the U.S. and are considered a delicacy in Asia.
The crabs were labeled as tools and clothing in those shipments.
Mitten crabs are banned in the U.S. because they're on the list of worst invasive alien species. Cincinnati saw most of the crabs being smuggled into the country. The second-largest amount came through Los Angeles.
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