Crime / California Couple Charged With Smuggling Hundreds of Sea Turtle Eggs They're worth $3 to $5 on the black market By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Dec 10, 2015 5:30 PM CST Copied A California couple is accused of smuggling more than 900 sea turtle eggs into the US from Mexico. (AP Photo/Kent Gilbert) Federal officials say a Southern California couple has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling more than 900 endangered and threatened sea turtle eggs into the US from Mexico. The US Justice Department said this week that Hemet residents Olga and Jose Jimenez have been charged in a four-count indictment. Each faces a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison and $1 million in fines if convicted of all charges. Officials say the eggs are considered a delicacy in Asia and believed to have aphrodisiac properties. A Sea Turtle Conservancy spokesperson told the Riverside Press-Enterprise the eggs typically bring between $3 and $5 each on the black market. (More California stories.) Report an error