This year, Polish customs officers in Lublin have stopped 29 attempts to smuggle over 8,300 tablets containing seahorse extract. Seahorses are protected under the Washington Convention (CITES), and their extraction for medicinal use is illegal without proper documentation.
Increasing Smuggling Cases
In 2024, authorities on the Ukrainian and Belarusian borders encountered numerous attempts to bring seahorse-based medications into the EU. During August alone, nearly 700 illegal tablets were seized. Seahorses are commonly used in traditional Asian medicine, particularly extracts from Japanese and crowned seahorses, both species threatened with extinction.
No travelers in possession of these products had CITES permits, and all face criminal charges. The sale and transport of species protected by the convention is strictly controlled to ensure their survival in the wild. Seahorses, facing global population declines, are fully covered under international law, which prohibits trade in live specimens and derivatives without proper permits.