Seven Charged Over Illegal Flying Squirrel Trade In Florida
ILLEGAL FLYING SQUIRREL TRADE – Seven individuals were charged over an international illegal flying squirrel trade based in Florida.
Thousands of the said creatures were exported to Asia, as said by the conservation officials in Florida, according to a report from ABS-CBN News.
About 3,600 flying squirrels, which are protected species in the state were trapped in less than 3 years, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
It added that poachers deployed 10,000 squirrel traps throughout the area around Marion County in the said state.
They, then, sold the creatures to a wildlife dealer, Rodney Knox, in nearby Bushnell, who “laundered” them through his licensed business, claiming that the squirrels were bred in captivity.
South Korean buyers traveled to the state to purchase the species and drove them in rental cars to Chicago. Then, an “unwitting wildlife exporter” sent them to Asia. As the scheme grew, couriers from Georgia used Atlanta as a pit stop for the exporting.
Based on the report, the squirrels were worth at about more than $1 million, upon which Knox gained $213,800 gained from the trade. Six of the 7 were nabbed while 1 is a fugitive. Among the six were 4 from Florida and 2 from Georgia.
Knox was charged with money laundering, grand theft and dealing in stolen property, among others, which will also be faced by the other arrested suspects.
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