$2.7 million worth of swim bladders from endangered fish seized by US authorities

(CNN) - Border authorities have seized $2.7 million in illegal swim bladders, the organ that helps fish control their buoyancy.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Arizona seized 242 pounds of bladders on April 13.

Authorities say the bladders came from the Totoaba fish, which has been endangered since 1979.

They are also considered an Asian cultural delicacy and are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Border agents say smugglers tried to hide the bladders inside of a commercial shipment of frozen fish fillets.

Authorities believe this seizure is the second-largest seizure of its kind in the U.S. and the largest Totoaba seizure in Arizona, to date.