More poachers busted (Ohio & Michigan)

I got these two from the CNAH mailing list recently:

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NEWS RELEASE
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
http://www.cnah.org
6 April 2005

Ohio Reptile Raid Yields (Amphibian) Felony Indictment
Ohio News Network, Columbus, Ohio, 29 March 2005

A previous raid of a reptile show is now leading to felony charges. A Toledo man
is being charged with trafficking in a protected reptile (sic) species -- Ohio
salamanders.

The camera was rolling when state wildlife officers raided Columbus' All-Ohio
Reptile Show in June of 2003. A two-year, multi-state, undercover investigation
led them there.

"We placed officers in an undercover capacity as dealers and buyers because it
was a way to make contacts there," Ohio Division of Natural Resources Officer
Jim Quinlivan explains. "And we were amazed at the number of illegal activities
going on," he told Ohio News Network.

They say they found dozens of Ohioans collecting and selling endangered and
threatened species, including turtles, snakes and salamanders. Wildlife officials
say Illegal dealers have the potential to wipe out entire species. That’s what
prompts such vigorous enforcement.

Quinliven says the Toledo man indicted Tuesday (March 29) would collect
salamanders from Ohio ponds and sell them -- a lucrative crime. But in Ohio,
that’s the equivalent of poaching, like killing an endangered black bear or a bald
eagle.

"To the average Ohioan, I think, salamanders, snakes, turtles, are not as
glamorous as bald eagles or white-tailed deer," Quinliven concedes. "But when you
take into account our quality of life here in Ohio and our wildlife diversity, I think
all Ohioans should care if there's a potential for our wildlife to be taken from the
wild and sold illegally."

Most of those arrested in the 2003 raid have cooperated with the investigation
and are already serving probation.

But the Division of Wildlife says Tuesday's felony indictment should serve as a
warning to others that buying and selling Ohio wildlife won't be tolerated.

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NEWS RELEASE
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
http://www.cnah.org
22 March 2005

Operation Slither

Contacts: Lt. Dave Davis (989) 275-5151 and/or Mary Dettloff (517) 335-5014

DNR Wraps Up Largest Case of Illegal Traffic in Reptiles

State conservation officers today announced the conclusion of Michigan's
largest investigation into the illegal trade of protected Michigan reptiles that
began in 2001.

Joel Roggelin, of Toledo, Ohio, pleaded no contest to 18 counts of the illegal
purchase of protected species in the 23rd District Court in Taylor in December.
Roggelin was fined $8,750 and placed on probation for two years.

A total of 14 individuals, who were charged following a two-year undercover
operation, either pleaded guilty or no contest to their charges, and collectively
were fined more than $58,000.

In June 2001, based upon information received from several sources, the DNR's
Wildlife Resource Protection Section "Special Investigation Unit" initiated the
covert investigation, which focused upon endangered, threatened or other
reptiles at risk and the dealers who exploit them.

An undercover detective spent two years infiltrating this close-knit group of
dealers, eventually participating in numerous reptile transactions with
herpetoculturists who often resold the animals for an instant profit.
Simultaneously the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Ohio Department of
Natural Resources initiated similar investigations, which proved beneficial in
bringing charges against the suspects.

Operation Slither, as it was known in Michigan, was concluded in June 2003, when
the DNR and the state Attorney General's office executed eight search warrants
at various locations around southern Michigan, and ultimately charged 14 people
with more than 400 counts of misdemeanor illegal sale or purchase of protected
reptiles. It was the largest enforcement action of this kind in history.

Included in this takedown were charges of manufacture of narcotics and a felony
firearm violation. Two subjects are headed to federal prison as a result of this
investigation. The following individuals were convicted in Michigan:

* Robert Ashley, Lansing, 3 counts of the illegal possession of protected
species; fined $2,418.
* Guy Dunn, Bellevue, 3 counts of illegally purchasing protected species; fined
$1,959.
* Mike Decamp, Berkley, 13 counts of illegally purchasing of protected species;
fined $6,837.
* Roger Florian, Newport, 10 counts of the illegal sale of protected species; fined
$2,959.
* James Heffernan, Inkster, 9 counts of the illegal purchase of protected
species; fined $5,418.
* Thomas Nelson, West Bloomfield, 10 counts of the illegal purchase of
protected species; fined $5,000.
* Frank Kitter, Royal Oak, 3 counts of purchasing protected species; fined
$1,959.
* Jefferson Race, Eaton Rapids, 2 counts of the purchase of protected species;
fined $1,459.
* Gordon Renaud, Southgate, 7 counts of purchasing protected species; fined
$3,959.
* Joel Roggelin, Toledo, Ohio, 18 counts of the illegal purchase of protected
species; fined $8,750.
* Ralph Weiss, Ypsilanti, 15 counts of the illegal possession of protected species;
fined $7,959.
* James Weiss, Ypsilanti, 14 counts of the illegal sale and purchase of protected
species; fined $3,418.
* Donald Williams, Bay City, one count of purchasing protected species; fined
$959.
* William Sands, Gregory, 10 counts of the purchase of protected species and
one count of possession of narcotics; fined $5,459. Sands also pleaded guilty to
a federal charge of felon in possession of a firearm, and was sent to federal
prison.

"This enforcement action demonstrates the continued vulnerability of nongame
wildlife species to illegal take," said DNR Law Enforcement Division Chief Alan
Marble. "It further underscores the role that conservation law enforcement
plays in reducing that vulnerability and sends a strong message to individuals
who would plunder Michigan's protected resources for profit."

Any person who has information concerning the illegal trade in protected wildlife
is encouraged to call the DNR's Report all Poaching Hotline at (800) 292-7800.

The DNR is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and
enjoyment of the state's natural resources for current and future generations.

For more information about this release, contact:

Richard Morscheck
morscher "at" MICHIGAN.GOV

Wow that one guy seems to have been working real hard to end up in federal prison with narcotics, fire arms in addition to endangered reptiles. I have one question:

When the government catches these people, what happens to the animals they find?

jenni-interesting stuff-esp as sals were involved at the ohio one!...i cant remember what the reference (sic) means though and its bugging me, its bugging me even more though that the CNAH called them 'reptiles'!....the toledo man wasnt named in the first article-but he is in the second one..what i dont get is they say the ohio man was selling collected species at the ohio show -now i know the rules for maryland and am pretty sure its the same for ohio-if you sell a species that is native to the state you will need a sales permit and some sort of way to show it didnt come from there...i guess the shows 'regulators' dont care that much for legalities?-its a huge show though-so you'd think they'd CYA a little more! in the michagan part i see there is a listing of purchasing of illegal animals-so it looks as if one has to be on their toes to know what is and isnt illegal to buy even-if you cant rely on sale items at shows being legal to buy.....

ben-well i know what happened to the cali tigers confiscated from a certain member of your country about 5 years back when he got caught at customs, you can be sure they wont be released back into the wild-so im guessing they will have the same fate and be donated to a college (or perhaps a zoo)-the cali ones were donated LIVE to a cali college to be cared for them there.

well if I ran a show -i'd definitely have a guide and people looking out for that sort of stuff-it gives the hobby a bad taint and endangers those species, plus if your customers get busted for such activities-then how will your business go on?? i cant make sense of letting such stuff happen-but more so i am worried for those honest kids and hobbysts who might inadvertently purchase an illegal animal...."buyer beware" now takes on a new meaning!

Paris - I think that CNAH added the "(sic)" after the word "reptile" to indicate that the word is incorrect. I assume they took the text from some other source. CNAH certainly knows the difference.

sic 1 (sk)
adv.
Thus; so. Used to indicate that a quoted passage, especially one containing an error or unconventional spelling, has been retained in its original form or written intentionally. -thefreedictionary.com

Jen is right. I've always wondered what that (sic) meant, now I'm glad I do. I'm gonna use it everywhere

!

Ah, HA! I've found my first victim!

Can I keep newts with my other pets?

Depends on the other pet, of course. OTHER NEWTS: Newts can be kept with other newts of approximately the same size with little trouble(sic); right now I have Cynops pyrrhogaster (3 in), Triturus cristatus (5 in), and Taricha torosa (6 in) together in the same tank (in cm, that's 7.5, 13.5, and 15, respectively).
- worldofpetsni.com

Don't worry, I am already in the process of contacting them to let them know of the potential disaster of keeping such different species together.

(Message edited by tmarmoratus on April 07, 2005)

ok, so i live in indiana..say i am out at a friends in (ohio) or any other state for that mater. i go to a reptile show, purchase an animal and get arrested leavin because the animal i just baught is illiegal. lets say i am a kid with my dad and want a pet sal. we buy and get busted for it. it is a reptile show why bust unknowing pet lovers, arent the people selling them to blame.

It may not seem fair, but it's the law. Let's say, hypothetically, that a man goes out and buys cocaine, not knowing that cocaine is illegal (hey, it could happen) from a drug dealer. By purchasing the coke he just contributed to an illegal trade, whether he knew it or not. Does this mean that the man shouldn't get into trouble? The same applies to the pet trade. By purchasing an illegal (likely endangered) herp at a show, one would be contributing to an illegal trade that is a drain on threatened and endangered species, unknowingly or otherwise. This is why it's important to know the laws in regards to herps before going to a show- especially if you go with the idea of getting something more exotic and uncommon than the standard offerings.

yes, i know not knowing the law is no excuse but shouldnt the dealers and the reptile show itself be held responsable for what is sold in a "pet store flea market". is there not a screening prosess that the people and animals go through, like a check in when the dealers come and set up at these things.

There's not even a screening process at gun shows.

Not that it's a bad idea, but logistically its unworkable. I'm (pleasantly) surprised they put in two years of effort to catch any herp dealers.