Russian border guards have detained two Chinese citizens for smuggling of a 343 bear paws and 25 kilograms of red caviar through the Russian village of Nizhne-Spasskoe in Russia's Far East, the village that borders China's Heilongjiang province, Russian website Gazeta.ru reports.
According to the reports the smugglers, who have not been named, were trying to carry their illegal cargo to Chinese territory by boat.
“The Chinese have been living in Russia as illegal immigrants for several years. A Russian Court has opened a criminal case against the two smugglers for illegally crossing the frontier and carrying contraband,” a spokesman of the Russian Frontier Administrative department said.
Dishes made of bear paw are delicacies and are very expensive in the Chinese province of Gancu. The majority of luxury restaurants cook bear paws for their VIP clients. However, trading bear paws is prohibited in China.
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