The Chinese man with the cruel face was adamant. He would not show the visitor the panda pelt being offered for sale without a $10,000 deposit. But perhaps she would be interested in a better deal: two live young pandas, chained and ready to go, for just $112,000. Of course, he had leopard and tiger pelts as well, if she were interested. Eight smugglers gathered around them in the dimly lighted, smoke-filled room in Quanzhou, an ancient seaport on the narrow waterway between mainland China and Taiwan; each one was seeking a $19,000 cut just for witnessing a deal.
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