NEW PORT RICHEY - Wednesday night, investigators from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission went to a gas station in New Port Richey. There, they say, a 19-year-old man met them offering to sell several Burmese pythons.



"There was an offer, and acceptance. We arranged for a meet," said Lt. Steve DeLacure. "I went in an undercover capacity met with the defendant on Wednesday evening."



DeLacure got a tip earlier in the week the snakes were being offered for sale on the Internet sales site Craigslist. The problem is, the man offering to sell the snakes did not have the required license to have or sell the snakes.



Bradley Scott Dean, 19, was arrested at the gas station. When investigators went to Bradley's home, they say they found eight snakes.



Twelve were seized in all.



"It's not like I kept them unresponsibly [sic]," Dean told FOX 13. "I kept them all in locked cages and in a locked room. It's not like they would have got out like that incident with the 2 year old."



Dean was referring to a 2-year-old girl who was killed by a Burmese python. The snake got out of its cage in Sumter County and strangled the girl.



"I'll be honest with you, these snakes are not meant to be on the pet market. They get too big and they get unmanageable," observed Phil Gontheir, who runs Weebee's Pet World in New Port Richey. His pet store is holding the 12 snakes seized on Wednesday.



Dean faces three misdemeanor charges for owning and trying to sell the snakes without a license and failing to have any of the snakes microchipped.



This is the second time wildlife officers say they have encountered Dean illegally trying to sell reptiles on the Internet.



"He knew, or should have known that a license was required for this type of activity, so obviously the warning was not heeded, so he can't claim ignorance on this issue," DeLacure added.



"I just didn't have the money at the time," Dean offered.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/nature_coast/new_port_richey_pythons_seized_082809

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