A Chinese businessman is being charged for attempting to export a container of sea cucumbers from Samoa, estimated to be worth over $US3.6 million.
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Qinping Yan has been charged for corruption and bribing a law enforcement officer.
He remained in custody pending his court hearing.
The lucrative sea cucumber trade in China is estimated at nearly $US3 billion a year, as it is a sought after delicacy there.
The Samoa Observer newspaper reported a senior officer at the Ministry of Customs and Revenue was offered a $1800 bribe.
The container was seized last month by Customs officers at the wharf.
It is illegal to export sea cucumbers under Samoan law.