Officers in India seized 17 pounds of illegal sperm whale vomit worth over a million dollars, Newsweek reports. The substance is called ambergris and is found in the intestines of sperm whales, and is typically used in the production of high-end perfumes.
When sperm whales have something iritating in their digestive system that becomes irritating, the ambergris will coat itself around the irritant and be cast out of the body. The substance then floats just below the ocean surface, until someone comes along and collects it.
Ambergris is illegal in India, and officials were able to set a trap after getting info about a gang that was attempting to sell the substance to the global market. The suspects offered to sell the 17 pounds of ambergris to undercover officers, and two men were taken in to custody.
