More than 16,000 dried seahorses destined for illegal export to Asia, where the animal is sought for its supposed healing properties, were seized in Peru’s capital Lima, authorities said.

Police uncovered the cargo, weighing around 160 kilograms, in three cases in a search operation near the airport in the Peruvian capital.

In Asia, particularly in China, South Korea and Japan, the seahorse – protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) – is coveted for its alleged medicinal and aphrodisiac properties.

Seahorse fishing has been banned in Peru since 2004 andis punishable by two to five years in prison.

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