Man charged with smuggling 1,700 reptiles into US from Mexico

CBP officers on the San Ysidro, CA port of entry discovered snakes in baggage hidden beneath and in a person's garments.
AP

A California man accused of smuggling hundreds of reptiles from Mexico into the US over the span of six years was charged within the case Thursday — a few month after he was arrested on the southern border with a few of the creepy crawlers hidden in his pants.

Jose Manuel Perez, 30, was busted by border patrol brokers on Feb. 25 as he tried to cross the San Ysidro Port of Entry in his automobile, U.S. Legal professional officers mentioned.

The brokers found about 60 bearded lizards, child crocodiles and snakes hidden inside his jacket and pockets — and even on his groin space, in accordance with prosecutors.

A superseding indictment filed on Thursday alleged Perez, of Oxnard, Calif., tried to smuggle the reptiles by tying them up in small baggage and stuffing the stay animals down his pants.

Perez allegedly instructed the border patrol agent that the reptiles had been his pets. 

Federal prosecutors allege that Perez and his sister, Stephany, labored with a community of “middlemen” to smuggle greater than 1,700 animals into the US from January 2016 to about Feb. 25, 2022, in accordance with the superseding indictment.

Prosecutors estimate the overall market worth of the wildlife at greater than $739,000.

The animals — together with Yucatan field turtles, child crocodiles and Mexican bearded lizards — had been imported into the US from Mexico and Hong Kong with out correct permits required by a global treaty, officers mentioned.

Perez was charged with one rely of conspiracy with 14 overt acts, 9 counts of smuggling items into the U.S and two counts of wildlife trafficking. He's anticipated to be arraigned on March 28. 

Horned lizards discovered throughout a smuggling try on the San Diego, CA border.

AP

Stephany Perez, 25, has been charged with conspiracy and will probably be arraigned within the subsequent few weeks, federal authorities mentioned.

The Perez siblings allegedly labored with their co-conspirators to barter gross sales via social media and organized the wildlife to be transported to the Ciudad Juarez Worldwide Airport in Mexico. 

The animals had been then transported by automobile to El Paso, Texas by their co-conspirators, who allegedly obtained “crossing charges” every time they made it via the border with the stay animals. 

In response to the indictment, one of many alleged co-conspirators corresponded with Jose Perez on Jan. 14, 2016 and mentioned coping with 12 turtles was “fairly an ordeal” as a result of “the field is kind of heavy, and of prime of that, these chopos (turtles) chew onerous.”

The sibling’s community of co-conspirators concerned smugglers in Mexico, Indiana, Florida and even Perez’s girlfriend, in accordance with the indictment.

The animals had been transported to Perez’s residence in Missouri however after he moved to California, the animals had been shipped to his house in Oxnard.

The siblings allegedly used social media to promote the reptiles, a few of that are protected and endangered species, authorities mentioned. 

If convicted of all expenses, the defendants may face a statutory most sentence of 5 years in federal jail for the conspiracy cost.

Jose Perez may face a statutory most sentence of 20 years in jail for every smuggling rely and 5 years in jail for every wildlife trafficking rely, officers mentioned.