Police in Peru have seized more than 16 000 dried seahorses which smugglers wanted to export illegally to Asia, authorities say.

Seahorse powder is used in China, Japan and elsewhere in traditional medicine for its alleged aphrodisiac uses. In China it is also used to cure asthma.

According to Peruvian authorities, the traffickers ran away and abandoned their precious “cargo” on a street in the capital, Lima. The police say the cargo consisted of three cases weighing 27.5kg.

The seahorses could have fetched up to $250,000 abroad, reports BBC.

Although seahorse fishing is illegal in Peru, the high prices paid for seahorse powder abroad lure people into violating the ban.

It should be added that last year a total of 20 tonnes of dried seahorses were seized across the world – half a tonne in Peru alone.

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