Three large motorized bancas were held by the Coast Guard after it heard reports that it carried prohibited species from Palawan.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources were inspecting the shells placed in sacks.
Coast Guard Station- Cebu provided boat for BFAR to cross the island.
The bancas are anchored in barangay Tinggo in Olango island of Lapu-Lapu City.
It was a joint operation of the Naval Forces Central and Coast Guard.
The team suspects that the species inside the sacks looks likes among (Trochus niloticus).
Initial reports said that the boats came from Tubbataha.
Last May, Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III met with governors of Tawi-Tawi and Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) at the Cebu Provincial Capitol to discuss collaborative enforcement initiatives in the provinces.
Cebu is one of the transhipment points for raw corals and shells for processing.