A California man who smuggled more than 1,700 wild animals into the United States, including 60 reptiles hidden in his clothing, pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges.
LOS ANGELES — A California man who smuggled more than 1,700 wild animals into the United States, including 60 reptiles hidden in his clothing, pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges.
Jose Manuel Perez, 30, of Oxnard, entered pleas to two counts of smuggling and a charge of wildlife trafficking.
Prosecutors said that from 2016 to this February, Perez and his accomplices used social media to arrange to smuggle animals from Mexico and Hong Kong. Most were reptiles and included Yucatan box turtles, Mexican box turtles, baby crocodiles and Mexican beaded lizards, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
This photo provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California shows some smuggled animals from Mexico and Hong Kong into the U.S. On Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. (US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California via AP)
It is illegal to import the animals without permits under an international treaty on the trade of endangered species, the DOJ said.
Perez paid accomplices a crossing fee to drive animals from Mexico to El Paso, Texas, where he had them shipped to his family’s Ventura County home and resold them to customers throughout the U.S., authorities said.
He also made some three dozen trips to Mexico himself to pick up animals, and on Feb. 25 he was arrested while trying to enter the U.S. with 60 reptiles hidden in bags of his clothing, prosecutors said. Three of the reptiles died.
The smuggled reptiles were worth about $739,000, authorities estimated.
Perez fled to Tijuana in June while out on bond but was quickly captured and returned to the U.S. He could face up to 20 years in federal prison for each smuggling count when he’s sentenced on Dec. 1.
Отрытый конкурс красоты и таланта «Одна на миллион»
Филиал № 4 ОСФР по Москве и Московской области информирует:
С начала 2024 года 140 тысяч женщин и новорожденных Московского региона получили услуги по родовым сертификатам
Филиал № 4 ОСФР по Москве и Московской области информирует:
За полгода 14,9 тысячи жителей Московского региона оформили страховую пенсию в автоматическом режиме на портале госуслуг
Спортивные игры в СЛД "Москва-Сортировочная" филиала "Московский"
Россиян предпочли туркам: в Турции, в отеле забитом российскими туристами, сломались кондиционеры и отдыхающие начали со скандалом перетаскивать кровати в ресторан
Дистрибьюция Музыки.
Главный врач клиники микрохирургии глаза АйМед Элина Санторо: что такое катаракта на самом деле
Не поможет и жвачка: Доктор Кутушов рассказал о причинах неприятного запаха изо рта
Exclusive - Sayantani Ghosh expresses happiness as sets of her show Dahej Daasi shifted close to her home; says 'I've been manifesting this for quite some time now'
Why you should buy physical copies of your favorite books
Mikel Arteta demands more Arsenal signings as he gives cryptic update on Riccardo Calafiori transfer
Suspect arrested for ‘threatening to kill Trump and his VP pick JD Vance’ in Florida days after assassination attempt
Warner Bros acquires MultiVersus devs as it shifts focus to free-to-play
D&D's new 2024 Player's Handbook will have 10 species to choose from including goliaths, and drow will be closer to their Baldur's Gate 3 version
Today's Wordle answer for Saturday, July 20
According to BioWare, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the first entry in the series where "the combat's actually fun" and where characters are "intentionally" the focus of the storytelling, which seems pretty unfair on the first three games
Представители «Метровагонмаш-Сервиса» посетили СЛД «Москва-Сортировочная» филиала «Московский» компании «ЛокоТех-Сервис» для обмена опытом
22 июля Всемирный день мозга. Отвечаем на популярные вопросы о когнитивных расстройствах
Филиал № 4 ОСФР по Москве и Московской области информирует:
За полгода 14,9 тысячи жителей Московского региона оформили страховую пенсию в автоматическом режиме на портале госуслуг
Путин назначил Романа Курынина замглавы МЧС России
Филиал № 4 ОСФР по Москве и Московской области информирует:
За полгода 14,9 тысячи жителей Московского региона оформили страховую пенсию в автоматическом режиме на портале госуслуг
Главный врач клиники микрохирургии глаза АйМед Элина Санторо: что такое катаракта на самом деле
Путин назначил Романа Курынина замглавы МЧС России
22 июля Всемирный день мозга. Отвечаем на популярные вопросы о когнитивных расстройствах