Wardens’ Catch: 14 Suspects, 200 Snakes : Wildlife: State and federal authorities conduct a 3-county sweep, finishing up an undercover investigation into suspected illegal reptile trafficking.

Concluding a months-long undercover investigation into suspected illegal trafficking in reptiles, state and federal wildlife agents arrested 14 people and confiscated more than 200 snakes Wednesday in a daybreak sweep of Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties.

Two Orange County men arrested in the sweep were identified as Thomas Edward Bees, 27, of Garden Grove, and Lewis Reed Souder, 32, of Fullerton, according to the state Department of Fish and Game. Both were charged with unlawful trafficking in native California reptiles and released on $2,500 bond each.

Authorities said 124 snakes, including newborns, were taken from Souder’s Fullerton apartment with “another hundred or so” left behind.

Souder denied that he sold snakes illegally and criticized authorities for keeping his confiscated reptiles in “substandard” conditions.

“Each one has its own personality,” he said. “That’s what upsets me.

“I’m a hobbyist. I’ve never sold a wild-caught animal. I breed snakes as a hobby, and the only snakes I sell are captive-bred babies. I’m totally against commercial collecting.”

Many of the reptiles were captured by snake hunters in western Riverside County, an area considered rich in reptiles. Typically, Fish and Game officials said, hunters find the snakes along lesser traveled roads at night during the spring, when the reptiles are attracted to the warmth of the asphalt.

One of two 16-year-old juveniles arrested in Banning had 12 rattlesnakes. The other juvenile, also 16, had been bitten by one of his rattlers the night before and was arrested as he was released from the hospital Wednesday morning.

However, most of the snakes found were non-venomous, officials said. Their market values range from $5 to about $200 each.

Brian D. Prenger, manager of Prehistoric Pets in Fountain Valley, said that occasionally people come into his store to sell snakes, “but usually what it is, is little kids who catch them and don’t know what they are.”

Prenger said he does sell albino king snakes, which are bred in captivity and thus legal, as well as Mexican rosy boas.

He said he was puzzled that people would catch and try to sell native California snakes, which is illegal without a permit.

“They’re not really worth that much,” he said. “You’ve got to have an awful lot of them to make any money. It’s kind of risky for that amount of money.”

The arrests climaxed four months of investigation dubbed “King Rosy” into suspected illegal trafficking in snakes and other reptiles. The operation was named for two of the three snakes approved for captive rearing in California: the kingsnake and the rosy boa constrictor.

Violations under the state Fish and Game Code are misdemeanors calling for a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and/or six months in jail on each count. Those arrested were released from Riverside County Municipal Court on $2,500 bond each. Arraignment is scheduled next month.

The sweep was carried out by 25 wardens from the California Department of Fish and Game, assisted by four agents and four inspectors from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The snakes, plus a desert tortoise, two gecko lizards and a chuckwalla, an iguana-like desert reptile, were taken in their glass and plastic aquariums to a central location in Chino and will be dispersed to holding sites until dispositions of the cases. Some might be returned to their owners, but none will be released into the wild.

Fish and Game Lt. Dave Smith explained the law: “You can sell captively bred snakes with a permit, but you can’t sell, buy or offer to buy captured snakes.”

One of the suspects owns a Canyon Country pet store specializing in reptiles. Smith said snake hunters often use dealers to “launder” illegal snakes for subsequent sale.

“Collecting snakes and keeping them as pets is increasing in popularity,” Smith said. “We want to make a point here that we’re not going to allow them to abuse the resource.”