CHINATOWN — In Chinese apothecaries, traditional medicines don't always come in syrups or tablets. You'll find everything from deer penis, to turtle blood and pickled cobras inside glass bottles.
Such age-old elixirs are just a few of the unlawful imports that find their way into New York City every day, according to a report by the New York Post.
Bob Onda, who supervises U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors at JFK and La Guardia airports, tells the Post that the Chinese use "medicine mules" like other cultures use "drug mules."
If the mules aren't caught by federal agents at airports, it's likely some of their booty will end up on shelves in Chinatown.
Last week, a Queens man was arrested for attempting to smuggle live endangered fish through customs in his suitcase, according to the Post.
A customs agent found 16 Bonytongues — a 5-inch to foot-long fish that is considered a good-luck charm in many Asian cultures — packed in individual bags of water insulated in Styrofoam.
