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Link to article though a Google search will find others:
https://www.masslive.com/news/2019/0...equipment.html
Man pleads guilty to smuggling in endangered water monitor lizards to Massachusetts in stereo equipment
Updated Apr 23, 8:31 PM; Posted Apr 23, 8:27 PM
By Jeanette DeForge |
jdeforge@repub.com
BOSTON - A New Hampshire man who is accused of hiding live monitor lizards in electronic equipment to bring them into the state pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston Tuesday.
Derrick Semedo, 26, of Nashua, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to one count of trafficking in monitor lizards. He faces as much as five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Semedo admitted in court that he illegally imported more than 20 live water monitor lizards from the Philippines between March and December 2016. To sneak the lizards through customs, they were stuffed in socks, which were then sealed closed with tape and then placed in the back panels of audio speakers and other electronic equipment, said Christina DiLorio-Sterling, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling.
The lizards were then shipped from the Philippines to Massachusetts. Semedo also admitted he sold the monitor lizards to customers in Colorado, Connecticut and New Hampshire, she said.
The act violates United States law and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Treaty, she said.
The lizard was taken to a facility licensed to care for reptiles, according to the Massachusetts Environmental Police
"Endangered species are called that for a reason," Lelling said. "Illegally trafficking a protected species in violation of United States and international law is callous and short-sighted. This office will continue to target those who exploit protected animals and ecosystems for personal gain."
There are only two types of monitor lizards allowed to be kept as pets in Massachusetts. They are native to Africa, Oceania and Asia and now found in North America, mostly in Florida, because they have been imported and are considered an invasive species, according to the state Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.
"To remove members of endangered species from their natural habitat and illegally sell them in the United States is harmful to the animals, their native habitats, and the new ecosystems they have unwittingly invaded," said Assistant Attorney General Clark. "The Department of Justice remains determined to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that these endangered animals are protected, as they should be, in the United States and abroad."
The case was is part of Operation Sounds of Silence, an ongoing effort by the Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service, in coordination with the Department of Justice, to prosecute those involved in the illegal taking of and trafficking in protected species.