CNN
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Police on Japan’s Holiday Island arrested three Chinese citizens after thousands of protected hermit crabs were found packed into multiple suitcases.
Police in the Amami Islands near Okinawa said the three suspects – Song Zenhao, 27, 24, 26, 26, 26 and 27, were found to be in possession of 160 kilograms (353 pounds) of live crustaceans, on Wednesday.
Police said hotel workers in Amami, the environmental authorities city, warned the environmental authorities after three men found suspicious about the suitcase they asked hotel staff to watch.
“They heard the sound from the suitcases held during storage,” an officer told CNN.
Officers later arrived at the hotel and found a spiral shell hermit crab stuffed in six suitcases, according to police.
When they returned to the hotel Wednesday, the three men were arrested for possessing crustaceans without proper approval, Kyodo News reported.
It is unclear why the three men are transporting crustaceans.
Police did not provide accurate species details, but CNN said the hermit crab seized on Friday was classified as a “National Nature Monument” in Japan due to its cultural and scientific values and is protected under Japanese law.
Located in southwestern Kyushu and just north of Okinawa, the Amami Islands are popular tourist destinations and are known to be home to a diverse array of native plants and animals.
