![]() “In some countries they eat monkey brains some others eat snails or horse,” she said. She said she would no longer try to buy the fish, knowing that it is an illegal species. Lee said it’s a tradition she learned from her mother, who learned from her mother. For two weeks, she drank a bowl of it three times a day. They boiled them into a soup, adding sesame oil and ginger to kill the fishy smell. Because she had a difficult time giving birth, her aunt went to Assi Super market and bought three live fish, she said. Ho Lee, 44, ate three snakeheads two years ago when she was pregnant with her second child. Though authorities have not been able to establish a connection between the appearance of live snakeheads in Los Angeles and those in Maryland, Johns said government agencies are looking closely at an Assi seafood market owned by Rhee’s brother in Baltimore.Īmong the older generations in Los Angeles’ large Korean community, snakeheads are highly regarded for their perceived healing qualities. The nephew was issued a citation by a state Fish and Game warden for unlawful possession of live snakeheads, according to the documents. He told wildlife officials the fish had come from Rhee’s store, according to court records. Two years ago, Rhee’s nephew, who owns a Korean market in Garden Grove, was caught selling live snakeheads, prosecutors said. “Nobody’s judging a cultural practice we’re just asking people in communities not to encourage markets to import live, injurious snakeheads.” “We want to use this case not only to punish but also hold him up as a deterrent example,” said Assistant U.S. Authorities estimate that he imported at least 1,500 pounds of live snakeheads during 2002 and the first half of 2003, grossing about $23,000. Rhee reportedly sold the fish at Assi Super market only on weekends. His attorney, Steve Oh, would not comment. Rhee is scheduled to be arraigned June 7. The fish allegedly came packaged like goldfish from a pet store: half a dozen or so in a plastic bag with some ice cubes, the bag puffed up with air and secured with a rubber band.Īuthorities began surveillance of Rhee’s store after receiving an anonymous tip in April 2003 that his store was selling live snakeheads. Officials said they found Styrofoam boxes containing the snakeheads that were labeled “sea bass” and marked with a bright green vertical stripe. Rhee also faces eight misdemeanor counts from the Los Angeles city attorney’s office for unlawfully importing and possessing the fish.Īuthorities say the fish were brought into the country hidden in large shipments of fresh seafood flown in from South Korea. attorney’s office last week alleges three counts of illegally importing live, injurious fish, each count carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Rhee was arrested May 14 after wildlife officials saw live snakeheads being sold at his Assi Super market on West 8th Street.Ī complaint filed against Rhee by the U.S. Sung Chul “Daniel” Rhee, 46, is the first person in Southern California to face federal charges for smuggling the fish.
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