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Originally Posted by Lee Watson
I ran 24 shows a year with an average of
960 people thru the door. We averaged 1 DNR raid every 15 years with 16 misdemener tickets. These are facts not fiction like deadbeats would have you believe. Lee Watson
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Lee, with all due respect, if you are going to make statements of fact, like you did above, then please make them harder to validate then this. Case in point:
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Originally Posted by Daily Herald
Arrests Made at Reptile Show in Illinois
Law enforcement officials from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Food and Drug Administration, the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had been conducting a yearlong investigation into illegal reptile trade that climaxed at a “reptile swap” in mid September. Despite the raid, Lee Watson’s farm in Streamwood, the site of the swap for 12 years, has not been shut down. Some of the vendors were conducting legal trade, however, many were buying and selling protected species, unlicensed animals and undersized turtles. Illinois Conservation Police Investigator Michael Lyne said one man had more than 600 undersized turtles and was charged with “not having a license, not keeping records, commercialization of the resources and being over the limit. He was the worst in the number of turtles – but there were many others.” Lyne said that there is a 400 percent mark-up on baby turtles, which makes them a profitable venture. Fourteen vendors at the show were arrested, at least three more arrests are pending and 37 misdemeanor citations were issued. Source: Daily Herald, September 17, 2002."
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At his one raid alone you had 37 citations written. Then you have this which occurred 8 years before the one above in which 40 citations were issued:
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Originally Posted by EB
The Streamwood, IL Reptile Swap held monthly on the farm of long-time member Lee Watson was featured in a front page Chicago Tribune article on June 22, 1994. After detailing the hot market for exotic animals, the article stated that law-enforcement agents say that swaps are "the next phase of our investigation." They feel that there is an underground network of illicit animal traders. Last year 22 reptile vendors were charged with more than 40 violations, although most were misdemeanors. Fines ranged from $50 to $900 and one case remains to be settled. Watson was quoted "I though it was all a lot of bunk. That was the biggest travesty of justice I've ever seen." Enforcement agents felt they "could only scratch the surface in the six or seven months [they] were there." In addition a Department of Conservation official said that reptile trading in Streamwood is not currently being conducted because they were forced to turn to other cases. (Note: The Streamwood Swap Meet is not sponsored by or connected with the CHS in any way except that a lot of our members attend. EB)
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And I am sure this is just scratching the surface.
Griz