State and federal wildlife authorities are investigating a network of suspected conch-smuggling rings that traffick hundreds of pounds of sea snail from the Bahamas to satisfy South Florida appetites.
High demand for the protected species — long over-fished in Florida waters — fuels black market sales that smugglers use to evade international rules regulating commercial trade of queen conch. The practice is depleting the Bahamian conch population, experts say, and putting unsuspecting consumers at risk of illness.
At least six people have been indicted in South Florida in the past year for illegally importing conch.
The cases point to a larger, organized network of people who profit from trafficking the seafood delicacy to South Florida, said Lt. Steve Arcuri of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. They buy it on the black market at $4 a pound in the Bahamas, he said, and sell it to local restaurants and markets for up to $16 a pound, which is below market price here.
