Two men were convicted of transporting a living native lizard from Australia to the United States.
The Australian Border Force (ABF) has confiscated packages at the Post Office in Bloom, Western Australia. The baggage contained 15 lizards in multiple plastic tubs with holes for airflow.
According to authorities, men aged 31 and 39 hid the lizards in gift-wrapped containers and placed them in large shipping boxes containing souvenirs.
Despite knowing that it is illegal to export animals native to Australia, they moved from the United States to Bloom in 2018 and allowed them to capture and resell spiny-tailed lizards in the United States.
Two packages of lizards have been returned to Miami, Florida and Medford, Oregon.
The 39-year-old boy was sentenced to three years of imprisonment and ordered to spend the last part of his sentence in 300 days of home detention outside the region and pay a $ 40,000 ($ 29,000) fine. ..
The 31-year-old boy was sentenced to three years of supervision release, six months of home detention, and 250 hours of social service.
Sean Sr., Deputy Commander-in-Chief of ABF, said he has an international network to identify those involved in the cruel trade in wildlife smuggling.
“Wildlife smuggling is a global problem and one of the largest cross-border organized criminal activities. It is illegal, cruel and inhumane to package animals. Many smuggled animals cannot survive, “said Senior.
“Congratulations to those involved in the discovery of this operation demonstrating the success of the strategic and tactical coordination between the ABF and the US Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement Authority.”
ABF can detect unique products hidden in harmless packages in a variety of ways. The most successful are executive intuition and technologies such as X-rays.
ABF can encourage anyone with information on wildlife imports and exports to contact BorderWatch at abf.gov.au / borderwatch and provide information anonymously to ABF when reporting suspicious activity. Said.
Meanwhile, a 30-year-old man was recently arrested when he tried to overtake the US border guard in California, hiding 52 live lizards and snakes in his clothes.
When he arrived at the truck on the Mexican border, the man was pulled out for additional inspection.
Agents found 52 living reptiles tied to a small bag “hidden in a man’s jacket, trouser pockets, and groin.”
Authorities seized nine snakes and 43 horned lizards, some of which are considered endangered.
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Jessie Zhang is a Sydney-based reporter with Australian news and a focus on health and the environment. Contact her at [email protected]