--Bruce Stallsmith
close to Guntersville on the Tennessee
Huntsville, AL, US of A
----------------------------------
NEWS RELEASE
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
http://www.cnah.org
27 April 2005
Huntsville (Alabama) Times (17 April 2005)
NO MORE SHELL GAMES (Alan Clemons)
Operation Snapper Nets Seven Arrests
A Guntersville man is one of seven Alabama residents charged with multiple
violations of state laws involving the illegal possession and sale of
turtles to
breeders involved with an international poaching network.
The breeders, many of whom are based in Louisiana, considered a major hub of
the nation's illegal turtle trade, would raise the turtles and then sell
them or
their offspring to pet stores, collectors, meat distributors and overseas in
Asia
and Europe. The undercover investigation is ongoing, with indictments and
arrests expected in a nationwide sweep that could include as many as 50 more
people.
Aarion Ray Tucker, 39, of Guntersville has been charged with five counts of
taking illegal species of turtles. Tucker also is licensed by the state as a
commercial angler to operate gill nets. He pleaded guilty in Morgan County
last
February for two commercial fishing violations in Wheeler National Wildlife
Refuge waters.
Operation Snapper involved enforcement officers with the Wildlife and
Freshwater Fisheries Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources working with enforcement officials in four other
Southeastern states, undercover officers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and
local agencies. Officials have been building the case for-in-least two
years, if
not
longer, in an attempt to infiltrate the widespread network.
The seven Alabama residents, who range in age from 25 to 80 years old, face
a
total of 65 counts. If convicted, they face fines up to $500 and six months
in
jail
for each count. None of the seven are charged with violating the federal
Lacey
Act, which involves interstate wildlife transportation and carries stiffer
penalties. However, officials are expected to soon indict or arrest about 50
other people across the country. Approximately 40 may face felony or
misdemeanor charges of the Federal Lacey Act, while about 10 others will
face
lesser state violations in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and
Arkansas.
The seven Alabama people arrested caught more than 7,000 Sliders, River
Cooters, Mud, Musk, Painted and Box Turtles. An additional 30,000 pounds of
Common Snapping Turtles and 2,500 pounds of Softshells also were caught.
Conservation department officials said the "vast majority" of the turtles
were
legally caught and sold, but about 340 were illegally caught and sold in
violation
of state or federal laws. The seven made more than $30,000 from sales of
legal
and illegal turtles.
The suspects were arrested, without incident, based on warrants from the
investigation. The two oldest suspects, 67-year-old Robert Hall and
80-year-old
William Davis Lehr, both of Anniston, are considered by state officials to
be
the
major ringleaders. The turtles were caught on various state waterways,
including
Lake Guntersville, with wire traps or hoop nets in shallow waters baited
with
fish
or chicken.
Once captured, state officials said, the turtles were sold to turtle farms
in
Lousiana, Arkansas and Florida. Farmers would keep breeding size turtles in
special ponds that prevented their escape, collect the eggs laid by females,
incubate them and then sell the hatchlings to buyers in Asia, Europe and
throughout the United States.
Turtle meat, prized by restaurants primarily for soups, is sold domestcally
and
overseas. Asian interests are among the main buyers of turtle meat, along
with
restaurants in the United States. Smaller turtles were sold to pet stores or
over
the Internet to collectors. Officials say pet stores are not being targeted
for
any involvement in the network.
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