A California man who smuggled more than 1,700 wild animals into the US, including 60 reptiles hidden in his clothing, pleaded guilty this week to federal charges.
Jose Manuel Perez, of Oxnard, entered pleas to two counts of smuggling and a charge of wildlife trafficking.
Prosecutors said that from 2016 to this February, Perez and his accomplices used social media to arrange to smuggle animals from Mexico and Hong Kong. Most were reptiles and included Yucatan box turtles, Mexican box turtles, baby crocodiles and Mexican beaded lizards, a statement from the US Department of Justice said.
It is illegal to import these and other animals without permits under an international treaty on the trade of endangered species, the department said.
Perez paid accomplices a crossing fee to drive animals from Mexico to El Paso, Texas, where he had them shipped to his family's Ventura County home and resold them to customers throughout the US, authorities said.
He also made about three dozen trips to Mexico himself to pick up animals and on February 25, he was arrested while trying to enter the US with 60 reptiles hidden in bags of his clothing, prosecutors said. Three of the reptiles died.
The smuggled reptiles were worth about $739,000, authorities estimated.
Perez fled to Tijuana, Mexico, in June while out on bond but was quickly captured and returned to the US. He could face up to 20 years in federal prison for each smuggling count when he is sentenced on December 1.
Dinosaur tracks exposed in Texas
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Visitors to the Texas park can walk in the tracks of dinosaurs in the bed of the Paluxy River. Photo: Dinosaur Valley State Park -
Between 120 to 100 million years ago, dinosaurs lived in the coastal shallows and offshore islands of Texas and left footprint evidence for geo-detectives to investigate. Photo: Dinosaur Valley State Park -
Severe drought conditions led to the tracks exposure. AFP -
The tracks that were recently found belong to a theropod called Acrocanthosaurus and a sauropod called Sauroposeidon. Photo: Dinosaur Valley State Park -
The creatures probably made the footprints about 113 million years ago. Photo: Dinosaur Valley State Park -
Under normal river conditions, these newer tracks are underwater and filled with sediment, making them not as visible. Photo: Dinosaur Valley State Park -
More than 60 per cent of Texas experienced drought conditions last week following a heatwave. Photo: Dinosaur Valley State Park -
Regardless of the rains, the tracks will be preserved for a million more years. AFP -
Officials say a new layer of sediment will help protect the tracks from natural weathering and erosion. AFP -
With rain storms expected in the area soon, rangers at Dinosaur Valley State Park believe the tracks may become buried again. AFP -
The park has a gift shop with dinosaur-themed souvenirs and books. Photo: Dinosaur Valley State Park
