A California man was charged with wildlife trafficking and conspiracy after he illegally imported over 1,700 reptiles into the U.S., federal officials said in a March 24 news release.
The man’s 25-year-old sister was also charged. She’s accused of assisting her brother in the illegal wildlife smuggling business, the release said.
The 30-year-old man was arrested after being apprehended by Border Patrol agents at around 3 a.m. Feb. 25, where he was found with approximately 60 reptiles stuffed in his clothes, the news release said. Agents said they discovered the animals, encased in mesh bags, “inside his jacket pockets, pants pockets, groin area, and pant legs,” the release said.
He first denied that he had anything to declare at the border and then said the animals were his pets, officials said in the release.
The indictment filed against the siblings says they were involved in illegal animal smuggling from January 2016 to February 2022. The two are accused of using social media to advertise the animals for sale and included pictures and videos of the animals being captured in the wild, court documents said.
The animals smuggled, according to the indictment, included:
Yucatan box turtlesMexican box turtlesBaby crocodilesMexican beaded lizards
Officials said the siblings transported the animals into the U.S. from Mexico and Hong Kong without the required legal permission.
The man relied on at least five co-conspirators to retrieve the animals from Mexico, paying them a “crossing fee” to bring them to the U.S., officials said in the release. He also traveled to Mexico himself to purchase animals and bring them to the U.S., officials said.
Before moving to California, he previously lived in Missouri and the animals would be transported to his residence there.
The man was charged with one count of conspiracy, nine counts of smuggling goods into the United States, and two counts of wildlife trafficking. His sister was also charged with conspiracy, the release said.
If convicted of all charges, the man would face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each smuggling count, five years for each trafficking count, and five years for each conspiracy count, the release said. His sister would face a maximum of five years in prison for her conspiracy charge.
The man is scheduled to be arraigned on March 28 in Los Angeles, officials said.
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