PRESS JOURNAL (Florida) 09 March 05 Man sentenced in Orlando wildlife smuggling case
Orlando, Fla.: A man charged with smuggling endangered wildlife to and from Southeast Asia was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison as part of a plea agreement.
Michael Barrera, 21, of Miami, admitted he imported or exported more than 500 animals that had a market value of $200,000 to $400,000, the U.S. Attorney's office said in a release.
U.S. District Judge Anne Conway on Wednesday sentenced Barrera to two years imprisonment for conspiracy to smuggle protected wildlife into the country.
The plea agreement said Barrera and another person, who lived outside the United States, sent reptiles to each other between the U.S. and Singapore.
The turtles, tortoises, lizards and snakes were shipped to Singapore by U.S. post and commercial carrier, while animals were transported to the U.S. by air. None of the necessary permits for the international shipments of animals were obtained. They did not declare the animals upon arrival at their destination.
Shipping documents also omitted any mention of wildlife, while shipments were intentionally mislabeled as being books and magazines, authorities said.
The animals were protected by international treaties and the U.S. law, which protects rare animals from over-exploitation and commercialization. The U.S. law requires that packages containing animals must be properly labeled and declared for inspection by customs, border control and wildlife inspectors.
Man sentenced in Orlando wildlife smuggling case