Brooklyn food smugglers busted in bizarre duck intestine drama

March 6, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

Six people were arrested on Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court and charged with smuggling illicit meat, including goose and duck intestines, from China, through Los Angeles and into New York City.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Attorney’s Office

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Six individuals were arrested on Tuesday morning and charged in a federal complaint with smuggling and distributing illegal raw goose and duck intestines from China to New York City.

The defendants, five residing in Brooklyn and one in Queens, were implicated in a complex scheme to deceive U.S. customs by mislabeling shipments, including one instance where a container supposed to contain “1,966 cartons of pet grooming tool pet nail clippers” was found to carry the illicit goods.

One shipment even allegedly concealed the contraband beneath packaged rattlesnakes.

The defendants appeared before Magistrate Judge Cheryl Pollak on Tuesday, with the prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kamil Ammari.

In an unprecedented crackdown, the Eastern District of New York has witnessed the unfolding of a complex conspiracy involving the smuggling of illegal meat and poultry products from China.

Leading the charge, Luigi Stolfa, a seasoned Special Agent with the USDA’s Office of Inspector General, exposed the illicit operations of Ming Huang Chen and his accomplices, who orchestrated a sophisticated network to import, distribute, and sell prohibited food items, including raw duck and goose intestines.

The case began in August 2022 when the group deceitfully imported goods, masked as innocuous items like “pet grooming tools,” into the U.S. The arrival of multiple shipments under the guise of “frozen seafood” at JFK Airport, eventually revealed an inventory of illegal poultry products destined for New York’s dining scene.

Chen, alongside Hangming Fang, Runhua Hou, and their co-defendants, maneuvered through a labyrinth of logistics, from coordinating with overseas partners to navigating the streets of Brooklyn, all to feed an underground market hungry for forbidden meats.

Investigations included stakeouts at JFK and surprise raids on Brooklyn freezers, leading to the seizure of thousands of pounds of illicit meat valued at a staggering $147,300, prosecutors said.