# Man 'tried to take snakes on a plane'



## MrBredli (Feb 23, 2009)

*Albino Smuggling Attempt, Busted!!!*

*Published:* 23/2/09
*Source: *http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25094362-29277,00.html 

A MAN has been charged with attempting to smuggle 44 native lizards and snakes on a flight out of Australia, including a rare albino python. 

The haul of reptiles allegedly found in the 24-year-old's luggage at Sydney airport on Friday included 24 shingleback lizards, 16 bluetongue lizards and four snakes.

The snakes have been identified as three black headed pythons and an albino carpet python, an extremely endangered species with numbers estimated to be as low as 100.

The albino python is worth about $20,000, while Customs estimates all the reptiles in the smuggling attempt would fetch between $160,000 and $200,000 on the black market.

They were detected during x-ray screenings of the man's luggage after he checked in for a flight to Bangkok.

The reptiles, hidden in socks and cloth bags, were taken to Sydney Wildlife World, where they have undergone health checks and are being cared for.

The man, from Bonnet Bay, has been granted conditional bail to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on March 24.

He has been charged with attempting to export native species without a permit, which carries a maximum penalty of $110,000 and/or 10 years' jail.

Customs and Border Protection spokesman Richard Janeczko said wildlife smuggling was a serious crime.

"Customs and Border Protection continues to prevent, investigate and prosecute wildlife smuggling attempts into and out of Australia in a bid to end this cruel practice," Mr Janeczko said.


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## amazonian (Feb 23, 2009)

Love it. Hope they get the maximum penalty.


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## pythons73 (Feb 23, 2009)

Thats great Customs work,so $20 grand for a albino Carpet,or was it meant to be Darwin python.Is that how much they reckon he wouldve got,or what its worth here.


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## mark83 (Feb 23, 2009)

Hope they lock him up.


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## Kyro (Feb 23, 2009)

Love the way the authorities always point out that wildlife smuggling is a serious crime, then all they get is a slap on the wrist


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## News Bot (Feb 23, 2009)

*Published:* 23-Feb-09 02:28 PM
*Source:* AAP via NEWS.com.au

A MAN has been charged with attempting to smuggle 44 native lizards and snakes on a flight out of Australia, including a rare albino python.

*Read More...*


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## pythons73 (Feb 23, 2009)

Exactly Kyro,more than likely a small fine,The courts should start to set a example and start fining them heavy,and maybe jail time.


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## Veredus (Feb 23, 2009)

MrBredli said:


> albino carpet python, an extremely endangered species with numbers estimated to be as low as 100.


 
Wow, I was unaware these were given status as a separate species of snake, nor that they were listed as endangered :lol:


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## TWENTY B (Feb 23, 2009)

Hit him withthefull force of the law, 

Enough of these crappy slaps on the wrist.


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## kel (Feb 23, 2009)

ooh oooh sign me up for the ballots


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## pythoness (Feb 23, 2009)

anyone we know? ........... (jk)


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## amazonian (Feb 23, 2009)

kel said:


> ooh oooh sign me up for the ballots


 
No ballot for an Albino I garuntee it.
I am sure Taronga or Australia Zoos will be happy with it (unless it dies in custody of course) :lol:


PS,
If this dude gets off with a petty fine then I am going to attempt it myself.
Worth the risks if your only going to get a measly fine, and I know a few European keepers are keen on some Albino Olives/Carpets & Roughies lol :lol::lol::lol:


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## herpkeeper (Feb 23, 2009)

hang the maggot:evil:
he'll probably get some piss weak fine like that low life who got caught smuggling the greens not too long ago :evil:
laws are far to soft on these scumbags


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## WombleHerp (Feb 23, 2009)

at least get your info right....

Direct Quote:
"The snakes have been identified as three black headed pythons and an albino carpet python, an extremely endangered species with numbers estimated to be as low as 100.

The albino python is worth about $20,000, while Customs estimates all the reptiles in the smuggling attempt would fetch between $160,000 and $200,000 on the black market."

an albino carpet python is just a regular carpet python but a different colour/morph... NOT an endangered species...

BAH

Nat  x


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## WombleHerp (Feb 23, 2009)

at least get your info right....

Direct Quote:
"The snakes have been identified as three black headed pythons and an albino carpet python, an extremely endangered species with numbers estimated to be as low as 100.

The albino python is worth about $20,000, while Customs estimates all the reptiles in the smuggling attempt would fetch between $160,000 and $200,000 on the black market."

an albino carpet python is just a regular carpet python but a different colour/morph... NOT an endangered species...

BAH!!


(news bot just got it too http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/reptile-news/man-tried-to-take-snakes-on-a-plane-104099 )

Nat  x


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## ReptilianGuy (Feb 23, 2009)

Veredus said:


> Wow, I was unaware these were given status as a separate species of snake, nor that they were listed as endangered :lol:


 

was goin to say the same
:lol:


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## seumas12345 (Feb 23, 2009)

The $20g would have been it's value in foreign countries. We all know that someone would have to be on some chronic drugs to pay $20g for an albino darwin in Australia haha


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## m.punja (Feb 23, 2009)

I wouldn't be surprised if they valued it at 20K in aus, i wouldn't be surprised if they valued it higher, they tend to get excited when valuing their finds to make themselves look better. Probably why they used the term endangered for albino carpets and explaining how there is less then 100. Suddenly they are protecting something that is about to become extinct rather then rescuing something that is thriving and only getting bigger and bigger every year.


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## kel (Feb 23, 2009)

amazonian said:


> No ballot for an Albino I garuntee it.
> I am sure Taronga or Australia Zoos will be happy with it (unless it dies in custody of course) :lol:
> 
> 
> ...






yeah yeah i know, but a girl can dream lol, bet they would be overloaded if they did put it in the ballots, i can picture it now, id be happy with a free bhp anyway


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## BROWNS (Feb 23, 2009)

Makes you wonder how many have been smuggled overseas when compared to only a couple of small finds by customs.There have been albino carpets overseas for some time now which I'm sure nobody here would believe they were actually bred there and looks like it's just going to keep happening with the pitiful fines etc handed out where people have been caught smuggling and customs don't seem to care too much obviously and will continue to happen unless someone has been made an example of with huge fines or jail time which should set a precedence to others thinking of smuggling themselves,after all it's barely a slap on the wrist if you do get busted smuggling.

Peees me right off when it's usually people overseas have better looking Australian native reptiles than we have ourselves.There's the albino bhp's which supposedly were bred by a fluke chance which I personally don't believe. There's the albino Darwins which happened to pop up at the right time along with jags etc etc.Anyone who thinks that smuggling in and out of the country is delusional!

I hope they make an extreme example of this person just caught smuggling otherwise more people are going to keep smuggling and others thinking about it when they see the insignificant fines given previously and it doesn't matter if it's a stumpy or albino carpet they are still Australian native reptiles and people involved in this are breaking the law and deserve more serious reprisals for trying to smuggle Australian reptiles and getting caught should not recieve a tiny fine which was given to the recent bust of smuggling a green python from overseas.They should never be able to have a licence again however I'm sure the person busted with the green still has his licence as well as his reptile collection! All of this makes you wonder how many have actually been smuggled into Australia without customs finding out and have made it onto the books making them legal?????????????SCUM BAGS!!!!!!!!


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## Fuscus (Feb 23, 2009)

It is a crime motivated by economics so fines should be based on a formula to make the risk not worth while - eg estimated value multiplied by estimated odds of being caught multiplied by 2. So if the animals were valued at $1000 and the odds are estimated at 20 to 1 then the formula would by 1000 X 20 X2 or $40,000.
And on a related note, what is the price difference of an albino Darwin. I'm surprised that they don't have them overseas.


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## junglepython2 (Feb 23, 2009)

I'd bet you could fetch a lot more then 20k Australian for an albino Darwin overseas. Plus it's the courts who hand out the small fines not customs.


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## funcouple (Feb 23, 2009)

20k for an albino carpet lol more like 7k. so who is running the book on what fine he will get? i bet 3.5k


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## christo (Feb 23, 2009)

herpsrule said:


> at least get your info right....
> 
> Direct Quote:
> "The snakes have been identified as three black headed pythons and an albino carpet python, an extremely endangered species with numbers estimated to be as low as 100.
> ...



The Herald-Sun does it again! At least this time they were actually snakes and not killer dog leads.


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## Simple (Feb 23, 2009)

herpkeeper said:


> hang the maggot:evil:
> he'll probably get some piss weak fine like that low life who got caught smuggling the greens not too long ago :evil:
> laws are far to soft on these scumbags



The fine he got was for breech of his Victoian licensing conditions. Smuggling is a Federal offence. These court cases take years to come up. This particilar saga is not finished, that is why they confiscated his passport. This is my understanding of what is going on.If anyone has futher info on this matter I would like to hear it.


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## MrBredli (Feb 24, 2009)

Actually that error was made by customs, not the media. So they're off the hook _this_ time...


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## Moreliaman (Feb 24, 2009)

That was in the papers here too !! ......has some xray pics of the herps in the luggage....nice selection of blues..im glad he was caught...the herps wouldnt have had a nice journey in that suitcase 

The Mirror


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## Colin (Feb 24, 2009)

TWENTY B said:


> Hit him withthefull force of the law,
> 
> Enough of these crappy slaps on the wrist.



exactly. until they impose hard prison time and large fines this will just keep happening.

The maximum penalty for illegal importing or exporting wildlife under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is $110,000 and or 10 years jail.


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## Rainbow-Serpent (Feb 24, 2009)

My Aunty works in that department, she says people often attempt to smuggle our native reptiles and birds, she's the one who busts them  But even she agrees, they don't get a good enough punishment, also, Why didn't they ask who wanted those poor reptiles!? :evil:

*drools over albino*

Oh yeah, nearly forgot, I didn't know that Albino Darwins were classed as an entirely different species to normal Darwins?:|


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## Hooglabah (Feb 24, 2009)

there not the only differance between then aside from the price is thier colour its a no herper mess up


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## falconboy (Feb 24, 2009)

The bloke is from Bonnet Bay too - fancy someone from the Shire doing that. We are such a cut above over here. LOL


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## Moreliaman (Feb 24, 2009)

BROWNS said:


> There have been albino carpets overseas for some time now which I'm sure nobody here would believe they were actually bred there
> 
> Peees me right off when it's usually people overseas have better looking Australian native reptiles than we have ourselves.There's the albino bhp's which supposedly were bred by a fluke chance which I personally don't believe. There's the albino Darwins which happened to pop up at the right time along with jags etc etc.!



With the amout of australian herps bred overseas compared to the amount bred & hatched in australia, id say there was more chance of albinos "popping" up overseas....wouldnt you !!


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## News Bot (Feb 24, 2009)

*Published:* 24-Feb-09 09:10 AM
*Source:* digg
*Category:* People

A MAN has been charged with attempting to smuggle 44 native lizards and snakes on a flight out of Australia, including a rare albino python. The haul of reptiles allegedly found in the 24-year-old's luggage at Sydney airport on Friday included 24 shingleback lizards, 16 bluetongue lizards and four snakes. The snakes have been identified as three 









*Read More...*


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## -Peter (Feb 24, 2009)

Bonnet Bay!


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## -Peter (Feb 24, 2009)

falconboy said:


> The bloke is from Bonnet Bay too - fancy someone from the Shire doing that. We are such a cut above over here. LOL



When the message sent by the courts is that all you get is a low order fine and a slap on the wrist its no wonder people try their hand. Even someone from the Shire of all places.


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## pythons73 (Feb 24, 2009)

Are Albino Carpets classified as such on ppls record book,or they are just the same as normal Darwins.They certaintely wouldnt be classified as a different species.


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## anguskennedy (Feb 24, 2009)

What did they mean by 'rare species of albino python, less than 100 of them'? Being an albino doesn't actually make it a different species.... and I didnt know we had any python species with less than a hundred individuals left.... 

Any thoughts?


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## falconboy (Feb 24, 2009)

-Peter said:


> Bonnet Bay!



Oh, I know, how dreadful. He must have recently moved to the area from the west. LOL. :lol:


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## PhilK (Feb 24, 2009)

anguskennedy said:


> Any thoughts?


Yes you're being too picky and too literal 

The rewards must far outweigh the punishment to attempt something like that!


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## funcouple (Feb 24, 2009)

-Peter said:


> Bonnet Bay!


 
oh no, didnt think people from the shire were like that. wonder how many more criminals are hiding out there???


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## -Peter (Feb 24, 2009)

falconboy said:


> Oh, I know, how dreadful. He must have recently moved to the area from the west. LOL. :lol:


 Cant afford those type of snakes here, all got heroin habits to support.


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## brick (Feb 25, 2009)

Been reading this forum for quite a while, but think finally thought i would post something

at the moment in europe, you looking at between 12-15k euro, so 24-30k aussie dollars for 07 or 08 het albino pairs. So i reckon they probably undervaluing at 20k aussie for a visual. On the other hand though, the amount of potential people willing to spend that much money must be pretty small.
Im an aussie living in europe, and have inquired a few places about availability and prices. I do find it funny that all the breeders, straight up say that they got lucky and bred the originals in captivity, i reckon you gotta better chance of winning euromillions every week for a month. Im 100% sure all the albino carpets over here, have come from smuggled stock. You have got to wonder about the albino blackheads though (as has any actually ever been recorded in australia yet???) I understand it is possible, but its pretty coincidental that the same breeder also produced the first granite carpets

It seems australia really needs to change there import/export laws, i understand why animals maybe shouldnt be allowed to be bought INTO australia, as i could really hurt our flora and fauna, but exporting things out, i cant see where the problem is, are there actually many diseases for example that australia has that isnt already everywhere else in the world? The amount of money the government could reap from exporting australian species to the world would be huge, and its not just for reptiles, look at kangaroos for example, we culling big populations, and shooting them as pests, but over here you can spend 5k on a pet kangaroo!!!


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