Raids in 2 States Hit Illegal Wildlife Trafficking

Wildlife officers in California and Arizona raided 19 homes Tuesday, seizing poisonous snakes, piranhas, Gila monsters, hawks and other rare animals and animal carcasses, breaking up what authorities called a loosely organized, national ring of illegal wildlife traffickers.

Sixteen people were arrested in the synchronized, early morning raids, prompted by a 2 1/2-year under-cover sting operation by Arizona’s Game and Fish Department. More arrests are expected. A dozen other people in nine states also may face federal charges of interstate commerce in illegally obtained wildlife in connection with the sting, authorities said.

It was the largest sting operation involving black market reptile traders since 1981, said Capt. Bill Powell of the California Department of Fish and Game. In that sting, nicknamed “snakescam,” federal agents set up a covert business in Atlanta that resulted in 96 convictions and $250,000 in fines.

“People are making money from California’s wildlife resources and they’re causing a great deal of damage,” Powell said. “We’re putting them on notice.”

Estimate Value

The federal Fish and Wildlife Service put the value of legal wildlife imports into the United States in 1986 at more than $650 million but estimates that the black market accounts for another $150 million in illegal trade.

“A lot of collectors really want the rare animals and they don’t feel they’re doing anything dishonest with just one or two animals,” said Andrea Gaski, a staff biologist with the World Wildlife Fund. “But when you multiply that worldwide, it adds up to a lot of damage.”

Five people were arrested in raids in California on Tuesday on suspicion of illegal possession and sale of dangerous reptiles, said Curt Taucher, a spokesman for the state Department of Fish and Game. The misdemeanor charges carry a maximum sentence of up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, he said.

The only arrest in Southern California was of Shannon Jay Beard, 33, of Ventura, after authorities seized 17 living reptiles from her home and discovered the carcass of a Gila monster in a freezer, Taucher said.

Variety of Animals

Agents in California seized 149 venomous snakes, six desert tortoises, a dozen piranhas, a 6-foot crocodile, and other animals. The value of the animals ranged from $25 for a gerbil to $400 for a Catalina Island rattlesnake, Taucher said.

“There is a real big market in the United States because you can’t get these animals,” said Mark Jecker, a spokesman with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Arizona agents seized more than 200 native reptiles, 130 dead owls, hawks and vultures and several enormous monitor lizards, Jecker said.

Jecker said the sting operated out of a store called Black River Trading Company, set up in September, 1985, in a Phoenix suburb. The store, which fronted as a hide and trapping operation, advertised nationally, he said.

In addition to the California and Arizona raids Tuesday, wildlife agents were also investigating customers for the illegal animals in Florida, Virginia, Illinois, Ohio, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma, Jecker said.