Peru / Ilo and Lima → Hong Kong
Shark fins in the mail: the Yuelin Gan Cao conviction
A postal route linked Peru’s southern coast to a planned Hong Kong export. Prosecutors reported a five-year prison sentence after identifying protected shark products.
Conviction reported by prosecutorsJuly 2019 inspection; April 2023 conviction · Reviewed September 8, 2026
On this page
What the record establishes
Peruvian prosecutors reported that Yuelin Gan Cao acquired and moved 65.88 kg of dried shark fins from Ilo to Lima through the postal system, intending to export them to Hong Kong. The planned export used three postal consignments.5152
The follow-up release dates the customs inspection at Serpost’s Los Olivos premises to 25 July 2019. It states that the attempted shipment lacked the permit, license or valid certificate needed to establish legal origin and traceability.52
The Public Ministry announced a five-year custodial sentence and monetary orders, including S/14,146 in civil reparation. A forensic assessment estimated the fins represented 32 protected sharks; the record does not establish that Gan Cao personally caught or killed them.5152
Why it matters
Wildlife trafficking is not confined to container ships or fishing vessels. Small parcel channels connect coastal acquisition, inland consolidation and an overseas market. The case demonstrates the value of species identification and documentary traceability at the point of dispatch.
The sequence
Postal inspection
Customs personnel inspect the consignment at Los Olivos.52
Sentence announced
The Public Ministry reports five years’ imprisonment and monetary orders.51
Route and inspection details added
A second official release identifies the intended Hong Kong export.52
Responses and legal posture
The conviction is reported by the prosecuting institution. The two official accounts add different detail; no separately attributable defense statement or subsequent appellate decision was located.5152
What remains unresolved
The underlying judgment, appeal history and collection of the monetary orders were not obtained. The reviewed releases do not name the eventual Hong Kong buyer or prove wrongdoing by Serpost. Its premises were the inspection location, not evidence that the postal service was a conspirator.
The prosecutor identifies Gan Cao as a Chinese citizen and Hong Kong as the intended destination. Neither fact establishes Chinese government involvement.
How to read the evidence labels →Sources for this file
Fiscalía logró condena a ciudadano por tráfico ilegal de fauna silvestre ↗
Yuelin Gan Cao conviction, 65.88 kg, three consignments and monetary orders
Source limits
Reports trial outcome; appellate status and collection of monetary orders not obtained. No finding that the postal carrier knowingly participated.
Fiscalía logra cárcel efectiva para hombre que iba a exportar aletas por encomienda ↗
25 July 2019 customs inspection, Hong Kong destination and nationality
Source limits
Corrects or adds detail to the earlier release. Species wording differs; the site avoids inferring that the defendant personally caught or killed the sharks.
