2 Accused of Smuggling Exotic Snakes From Mexico

Two men were indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on charges that they illegally smuggled rare and valuable Mexican snakes into the United States at the Otay Mesa port of entry.

U. S. Customs Service inspectors found 21 live and dead snakes, some of them from threatened species, in a cloth sack hidden on the undercarriage of a van as the men attempted to cross the border Oct. 31.

The men were identified as John Randall Ottley, 39, of Valley Center, who owned the van, and Merritt Voightlander, 28, of Vista, who was driving it.

1 Suspect Studies Snakes

Ottley, a delivery truck driver who studies snakes, has written several articles about the subject for scientific journals. Both men were detained at the border and freed on their own recognizance after the snakes were confiscated.

The San Diego Zoo is taking care of the snakes, which are being held as evidence.

The men are charged with the illegal importation of eight of the rarest snakes, a Baja California rosy boa and seven San Lucan boas, all heavy-bodied snakes with smooth, shiny scales. The snakes can grow to 3 1/2 feet and inhabit rocky brushlands and desert areas from southern Arizona to Guaymas, Mexico.

“These snakes are among the most popular of all reptiles, are especially valued and are also very pretty,” Assistant U. S. Atty. Melanie K. Pierson said. She described them as “beautifully colored, docile and rare.”

“We don’t know what they were going to use them for,” she said. “Maybe they were going to sell them, maybe they were going to trade them.”

A Vanishing Breed

Pierson said the wild population of the snakes is among the breeds that have been “seriously impacted” by collecting and are protected by international treaty.

Both men are also charged with conspiracy to import merchandise and making false statements to a federal officer for allegedly telling a Customs inspector they had nothing to declare.

They face maximum penalties of five years in prison and $250,000 fines for each of the indictment’s three counts.