BIRMINGHAM NEWS (Alabama) 09 May 07 2 men accused of selling venomous snakes on Net (Thomas Spencer)

Officers from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources have arrested two Limestone County men who the officers said were buying and selling highly venomous non-native snakes on the Internet.

They seized 13 rattlesnakes, including a Mojave rattlesnake, which has the most toxic venom of any North American rattlesnake.

The men - Bradley Hudson, 48, and Richard Duckworth, 26 - were arrested Friday and are free on bond, according to ADCNR Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division Law Enforcement Chief Allan Andress.

ADCNR regulations make it illegal to sell, offer for sale or possess non-indigenous venomous reptiles without a permit. Because the snakes were traded in interstate commerce, federal charges also are possible.

"If these types of highly poisonous snakes escape and begin to breed, it could pose a serious threat to native wildlife," said Andress. "More importantly, if the snakes bite someone, area hospitals would not have the antivenin on hand to counteract their potentially lethal bites."

Officers searched Hudson's residence in Toney. In a storage building that had been converted to hold and breed venomous snakes, they found six highly venomous Neotropical rattlesnakes, two Western Diamondback rattlesnakes, two Western Massasauga rattlesnakes, two Uracoan rattlesnakes native to northeastern Venezuela, and one Mojave rattlesnake.

The snakes were put in the care of a licensed expert. Andress said the department always is on the lookout for such illegal trade.

"It is something we are always looking out for in newspapers, trade journals, Internet and tips from the public," Andress said. "We've seen things like this before, not that often. We've seen snakes from all over the world. There are not many we haven't seen."
2 men accused of selling venomous snakes on Net

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