SOME FIN FISHY - Police Dog Sniffs Out Black Market Shark Fin Shipment

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A shipment of 76 dried shark fins has been seized after being uncovered by a K9 sniffer dog en route from a Colombian city on the Caribbean coast.

The box, which was intercepted on 28th July, at a courier company in the port town of Tumaco, Narino, was flagged during a routine inspection by the trained police dog named Keyla.

Inside, officers discovered the fins, each taken from 76 killed sharks, wrapped and ready for black market sale, with an estimated value of COP 64 million pesos (GBP 11,500).

Police believe the cargo is linked to an illegal trafficking network moving protected marine species from Colombia’s northern waters to the Pacific region, possibly en route to international buyers.

Shark hunting is banned in Colombia, and authorities say the discovery reflects the growing scale of the country’s environmental crime networks.

Colonel Pablo Javier Galindo, head of the Narino Police Department, confirmed an investigation is underway to track those behind the shipment.

He said: "This is a blow to illegal wildlife trafficking.

"But it also exposes the damage already done to marine ecosystems."

According to environmental officials, shark finning typically involves slicing the fins off live animals before throwing them back into the ocean, where they sink and die slowly from blood loss, suffocation or being eaten by other predators.

The practice, driven by demand for shark fin soup and unproven medicinal uses, has devastated populations of several shark species worldwide and severely disrupts the balance of marine food chains.

(MJ Leidig / newsX)

NewsX-SherFins-01.jpg
Copyright: Clipzilla/NX
Description: This image is a screen grab of the video supplied titled NewsX-SherFins-01.mp4: Footage shows authorities seizing a suspicious package containing nearly 100 shark fins en route from La Guajira to Tumaco, Narino, Colombia on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.(Clipzilla/NX)

Byline Journalist: MJ Leidig

Byline Sub editor: Simona Kitanovska

Byline Spotter: Ivica Stojanovski

Byline Commisioning Editor: Mike Leidig

Byline Senior Writer: MJ Leidig

Byline Picture Editor: Zorica Stojkovik

Byline Video Editor: David Stojkovic

Byline Copychecker: Dushko Kochoski

Byline Illustrator: Dushko Kochoski

Byline News Editor: Simona Kitanovska

Geography: Tumaco

Subject: K1, VP, Animals, Pets, Dogs, Environment

T4 Editor Story Rating: 6

T4 Editor Pic/Vid rating: 7

T4 Total rating: 6.5