Police in Peru have seized more than 16 thousand dried seahorses which were to be exported illegally to Asian countries.

Thousands of dried seahorses destined for illegal export to Asia, where the animal is sought for its supposed healing properties, were seized Thursday in the capital of Peru, Lima.

The endangered seahorses were destined for Asian markets, where powdered seahorses are used in folk medicine in China, Japan, and elsewhere to treat various ailments and as an aphrodisiac.

Seahorse fishing is illegal in Peru, and the creatures are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Yet some twenty tons of dried seahorses were seized last year alone.

Peruvian officials say the traffickers ran away and abandoned their illicit cargo on a street in the capital of Peru, Lima. Peruvian police chief Victor Fernandez has told the cargo could have fetched up to $250,000 abroad.

Seahorse fishing is illegal in Peru, but the high prices paid for seahorse powder abroad make it difficult for the authorities to enforce the ban. Police officer Victor Fernandez said the cargo – three cases weighing 27.5kg – was left behind following a police operation near the Lima’s airport.

He said that dried seahorses are sent to Asian countries and used as aphrodisiacs. In China this product is also used to cure asthma. Victor Fernandez added also that last year a total of 20 tonnes of dried seahorses were seized across the world – half a tonne in Peru alone.

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