State makes large shark fin bust in San Francisco

State makes large shark fin bust in San Francisco
By Associated Press Published: Feb 14, 2014 at 8:19 PM PST

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — More than a ton of illegal shark fins were seized from a vendor in San Francisco, state wildlife officials said Friday.

Michael Kwong, 42, of Kwong Yip Inc. was cited for having 2,138 pounds of the fins, which violates California's ban that went into effect in July, said Lt. Patrick Foy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Possessing shark fins, selling or trading them is a misdemeanor under California's law, so Foy said it will be up to a judge to determine any penalty.

Investigators were led to Kwong during an investigation of an Emeryville restaurant cited for selling shark fin soup on Jan. 27.

"We consider this an extremely egregious violation of the law," Foy said. "We will work with San Francisco's district attorney and push the case forward."

More:
http://www.komonews.com/news/national/State-makes-large-shark-fin-bust-in-SF-245640741.html