Man Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Geckos
A Mission Viejo man pleaded guilty Wednesday to smuggling $85,000 worth of geckos into the country, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
Adrian Cunningham, 43, admitted concealing 57 New Caledonia geckos in a kayak on May 17 while flying from New Zealand to Los Angeles, officials said.
Officials arrested Cunningham after customs agents found the geckos, which are protected under international law and cannot be imported into the U.S. without a permit.
The U.S. attorney’s office and Cunningham have agreed that he should receive no more than 10 months in prison.
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