California man gets 65 months for smuggling 1,700 reptiles into U.S. in cross-border scheme
A Southern California man was sentenced to 65 months in federal prison on May 28 for orchestrating a sprawling wildlife smuggling operation that brought more than 1,700 live reptiles into the United States illegally, the Justice Department announced the following day.
Jose Manuel Perez, 48, admitted in August 2022 to smuggling goods into the U.S. and wildlife trafficking charges. From January 2016 through February 2022, he and his co-conspirators bypassed border declarations and permits to move reptiles across the U.S.-Mexico border and from Hong Kong, generating over $739,000 in illicit profits, according to court documents.
The reptiles — including Yucatán box turtles, Mexican box turtles, baby crocodiles, and Mexican beaded lizards — were often collected from the wild in Mexico, then transported to an international airport in Ciudad Juárez, just across from El Paso, Texas. From there, the animals were driven about 10 miles to a border crossing and smuggled into the U.S., the DOJ said.
Perez, a felon already serving a nine-year sentence for illegal firearms possession, used social media to negotiate purchases, advertise the animals, and post photos of them being caught in the wild. He also made multiple trips to Mexico to retrieve the animals and bring them back personally.
Wildlife experts say such large-scale smuggling poses serious risks to native ecosystems and animal welfare. Many of the trafficked species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and illegal trade can accelerate population declines in their natural habitats. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has increasingly targeted online platforms as hubs for illegal wildlife sales, though enforcement remains challenging across borders.
The case highlights the growing intersection of digital marketplaces and wildlife crime. Perez's sentence includes three years of supervised release after his prison term, and he was ordered to forfeit proceeds from the scheme. Co-conspirators were not named in the DOJ announcement, but the agency said they were paid per border crossing.
“This sentence sends a clear message that wildlife trafficking is a serious crime with lasting consequences,” said a spokesperson for the DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The illegal trade in reptiles harms biodiversity and undermines conservation efforts worldwide.”
Drew Pittock covers national trending news for USA TODAY. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California man sentenced for smuggling 1,700 reptiles into U.S.