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DAILY MAIL (London, UK) 11 January 11 Two Japanese men arrested for trying to smuggling live Turtles into the U.S. in cereal boxes
{Photo at URL below}: Snack-based smuggling: The turtles were concealed in small sacks hidden inside biscuit and cracker boxes
Two Japanese men have been arrested at Los Angeles International Airport after attempting to smuggling more than 50 live turtles into the U.S.
The men, both from Osaka, were arrested on Friday at LAX as part of a investigation into live animal smuggling known as 'Operation Flying Turtle'.
The pair had hidden turtles and tortoises in snack food boxes inside a suitcase and could face up to 21 years in prison if convicted.
Atsushi Yamagami, 39, and Norihide Ushirozako, 49, both Japanese citizens, are charged in a two-count criminal complaint that alleges one count of illegally importing wildlife into the United States, a smuggling offense that carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
The men are also charged with one count of violating the Endangered Species Act, a misdemeanour that carries a statutory maximum penalty of one year in prison.
The pair were part of a smuggling ring that officers working with Operation Flying Turtle had infiltrated in recent months.
The U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Customs and Borders Protection and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement department's Homeland Security Investigations were all involved in Operation Flying Turtle, which began last year after U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents learned of a live animal smuggling ring.
'In August 2010, Hiroki Uetsuki, an associate of Yamagami and Ushirozako, traveled from Osaka, Japan, and arrived at Honolulu International Airport,' where turtles were discovered in his suitcase, prosecutors said.
'After U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents arrested Uetsuki, he informed the agents that Yamagami paid him approximately 100,000 yen ($1,200) and his travel expenses to smuggle turtles and tortoises into the United States,' officials added.
Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for ICE's Homeland Security Investigations in Los Angeles, added: 'The plundering and smuggling of rare plants and animals to satisfy the desires of hobbyists is not only shameful, in some circumstances it can pose a threat to public safety and the environment.'
Yamagami and Ushirozako's smuggling attempt, which saw Chinese big-headed turtles and Indian star tortoises, among other variants, packed inside cookie and cracker boxes, was one a number of bizarre attempts at concealment at LAX in recent years.
A man was charged with smuggling in 2002 at the airport after attempting to sneak birds of paradise, orchids and pygmy monkeys - the latter inside his underwear - into LAX, while another attempted smuggler was charged last year with trying to get through the airport with 15 live lizards attached to his chest.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1346065/Two-arrested-smuggling-live-turtles-Los-Angeles.html

LOS ANGELES TIMES (California) 11 January 11 Exotic turtles seized at LAX in smuggling arrest (Andrew Blankstein)
In the annals of smuggling, Los Angeles International Airport has seen it all — lizards in luggage, songbirds strapped to a passenger's legs, boxes of tarantulas and two pygmy monkeys hidden in a traveler's pants.
Now, officials said, they have recorded another milestone in the animal kingdom — smuggled turtles.
Authorities said two Japanese men were arrested with more than 50 live rare turtles, from Chinese big-headed turtles to Indian Star tortoises, packed neatly inside snack food boxes.
On Monday, Atsushi Yamagami, 39, and Norihide Ushirozako, 49, were charged in a two-count criminal complaint alleging that they illegally imported wildlife into the United States, a smuggling offense that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, and one count of violating the Endangered Species Act, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison.‬
Federal officials, who arrested the men Friday, said the suspects had 55 live turtles sealed inside snack boxes of cookies and crackers.
Authorities said their investigation began a year ago, when U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents learned of a smuggling operation that was illegally bringing turtles into the United States.
They said they infiltrated the ring over the summer in an investigation known as "Operation Flying Turtle," which included the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
After U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents arrested one of Yamagami's associates at Honolulu International Airport trying to smuggle more than 40 turtles in a package, the man told them that Yamagami had paid him about 100,000 yen or about $1,200 and travel expenses to smuggle the reptiles, authorities said.
"The plundering and smuggling of rare plants and animals to satisfy the desires of hobbyists is not only shameful, in some circumstances it can pose a threat to public safety and the environment," said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for ICE's Homeland Security Investigations in Los Angeles.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0111-turtle-smuggle-20110111,0,6789292.story

KCAL (Los Angeles, California) 31 January 11 Japanese Men Plead Not Guilty In ‘Operation Flying Turtle’- Face up to 26 years in prison
Los Angeles (CBS): Two Japanese nationals pleaded not guilty on Monday to conspiring to smuggle more than 50 live turtles and tortoises into the United States by concealing them in snack food boxes found in a suitcase at Los Angeles International Airport.
A March 8 trial date was set for Atsushi Yamagami, 39, and Norihide Ushirozako, 49, who were arrested Jan. 7 at the airport by agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The men, who are being held without bail, are charged with conspiracy, animal smuggling and wildlife trafficking in a three-count federal indictment issued last Friday. If convicted of all charges, they face a maximum penalty of 26 years in federal prison, according to prosecutors.
An investigation — dubbed Operation Flying Turtle — began about a year ago when agents learned about a smuggling operation bringing turtles into the country, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Agents infiltrated the operation in July and purchased 10 protected turtles and tortoises from a person allegedly linked to Yamagami and Ushirozako.
The following month, a man was arrested at Honolulu International Airport carrying 42 turtles and tortoises that were hidden in his checked luggage. Hiroki Uetsuki told investigators that Yamagami had paid him about $1,200 to smuggle the animals into the United States, prosecutors said.
Uetsuki pleaded guilty to a smuggling charge in Hawaii and is expected to be sentenced on Feb. 7 to time served.
“Individuals who engage in the smuggling of protected species are unscrupulous law violators who are motivated solely by profit and status, and clearly have no respect for our ecosystem,” said Erin L. Dean, resident agent in charge of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement.
“Individuals who participate in the illegal take and trade of protected animals are irreparably harming natural populations and, sadly, contributing to the decline of many types of fragile and delicate species worldwide.”
Japanese Men Plead Not Guilty In ‘Operation Flying Turtle’