Wildlife officers shut down a flea market vendor who was selling turtles.
Officers with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency seized 116 red-eared sliders when they searched one woman's booth at the East Ridge Flea Market. Officers say the woman was selling the little fellows for 7 dollars each.
They have no way to prove that the turtles came from a legal source so they assume they were taken from the wild. Officers say it's serious crime. Matt Majors/Wildlife Resource Officer says "very serious, we deal in some capacity with this all over the state whether it is turtles or big game animals small game, people do it and they make money off the commercialization of wildlife."
Officer Matt Majors says the woman ran when they arrived. Officers searched three different cars looking for more turtles. Majors says they'll likely take the turtles to the aquarium until they can release them back into the wild.
Officers also found boxes of purses and wallets during their search. They're investigating to see if the woman can be charged with selling counterfeit items.
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