Woman tries to import 29 pounds of shark fins

— Authorities say a woman was stopped at the U.S.-Mexico border near San Diego trying to illegally import nearly 29 pounds of shark fins into the U.S.

Customs and Border Protection officials stopped the 54-year-old Mexican citizen from entering the country on Wednesday at San Ysidro after an x-ray machine revealed she had shark fins in her bags. The fins were confiscated, the woman was issued a citation and her visa was cancelled.

In October, California passed a bill banning the sale, trade and possession of shark fins to protect the world's dwindling shark population. California joined Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and Guam in the ban over objections that the fins are used in a soup considered a delicacy in some Asian cultures.

The Associated Press


