Crime
California man charged with smuggling reptiles from Mexico and Hong Kong
The defendant illegally imported a total of more than 1,700 animals with a value of more than $739,000
March 28, 2022 4:06pm
Updated: March 28, 2022 5:37pm
A California man arrested at the border in February was charged with conspiracy, smuggling, and trafficking more than 1,000 reptiles—some endangered—into the United States.
José Manuel Pérez, a 30-year-old Oxnard resident, was detained when he attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border with approximately 60 reptiles hidden in his suitcases, reported Univision.
Perez, also known as "Julio Rodriguez," illegally imported more than 1,700 animals with a value of more than $739,000, authorities claimed in a statement.
The defendant was charged with one count of conspiracy, nine counts of smuggling goods into the United States, and two counts of wildlife trafficking, according to a Justice Department statement quoted by CNN.
Perez is expected to be indicted on March 28 in the U.S. District Court of Los Angeles. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison for each smuggling count and five years for each wildlife trafficking count.
The indictment alleges that from 2016 through at least 2021, Perez, along with his sister Stephany and at least five co-conspirators in the U.S. and Mexico, smuggled and sold reptiles illegally, some Mexican in nature and others imported from Hong Kong.
The group imported baby crocodiles, Yucatan box turtles, and basin lizards, among other species, from Mexico without the necessary permits.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international treaty created to ensure that trade in exotic animals does not threaten their survival in the wild, protects more than 35,000 species of animals and plants.
In the United States, CITES is implemented through the Endangered Species Act, which requires special "foreign export permits" for certain species.
Man in California charged with #wildlife trafficking and smuggling more than 1,700 #reptiles into US. If convicted, he could face more than 20 years in prison. https://t.co/sEXWGiXbot
— CITES (@CITES) March 27, 2022
