Heavy jail sentence handed down to reptile smuggler

[Barney]

customs media release
Heavy jail sentence handed down to reptile smuggler - Wednesday, 25th January 2006

A 40-year-old man has been sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment in the Brisbane District court today for attempting to import reptiles.

Mr Katsuhide Naito pleaded guilty after being charged by Customs with importing regulated live specimens without a permit under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and importing endangered specimens.

Customs officers at Brisbane International Airport found the 39 exotic reptiles when they examined the bags of a 40-year-old Japanese man arriving from Singapore via Thailand on 22 August 2005.

On opening the man's cabin bag, Customs officers were surprised to see something wriggling - six snakes, four in clear plastic containers and two in shampoo bottles.

A subsequent examination of a second piece of luggage, conducted with the assistance of a Quarantine officer certified in handling reptiles, revealed a menagerie of wildlife.

Customs found a further 33 reptiles, including green tree pythons, albino pythons, iguanas, frilled-neck dragons, slider turtles, and tree monitors concealed in speaker boxes and food containers in the bag.

Several of the animals did not survive and the remainder were later destroyed by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service.

A Customs spokesperson said that this sentence sent a strong message to anyone considering involvement in the cruel practise of wildlife trafficking.

 

[kahn_10]

damm stupid!!!!! our native animals are the most incredible creatures !!! and still they arnt good enough poor animals bein imported too what did they do wrong too deserve death!!!!!!

 

[nathanbrisvegas]

risk of disease but i reckon they couldve been quarenteened ( lol i forget how to spell it ) and then put into zoos or something no real need to euthenaise em well i dont think so anyway

 

[Dicco]

Nathan, what is the purpose of shoving them in zoos? Do you have any idea of how long the quarentine is? the great cost per animals? They would have served no purpose for the zoos, and there were just too many. It annoys me that their lives had to be lost, but there was no other real apropriate measure.

 

[matto]

what is the purpose of shoving them in zoos?

it keeps the animals alive!
On the news it said the man was going to swap all the reptiles for a blue heeler as they are very popular in japan.
there is a thousand zoos in australia i'm sure that they would love an endangered species for free

but there was no other real apropriate measure.

thats a crap thing to say i think they took the easy way out.
Most captive reptiles are in quarentine most of the time anyway if you think about it, i know i dont socialise my snake with others.

 

[Bakes]

On the news it said the man was going to swap all the reptiles for a blue heeler as they are very popular in japan.

Wow all those reptiles for a $100 blue heeler pup found in any trading post :roll: I'm going to have to start breeding heelers :shock: :wink:

 

[MrBredli]

On the news it said the man was going to swap all the reptiles for a blue heeler as they are very popular in japan.

Apprently they taste better than whale..

 

[Moreliaman]

Every now & then Madagascar temporarily allows the export of some of its non endangered species, Although on rare occasions people still try to smuggle the endangered stuff out, it has elevated the problem to some extent !
Perhaps if Australia had allowed export of some of its non endangered species, Mr Katsuhide Naito wouldn?t have needed to do such a stupid act for what you all agree is a commonly available reptile! (Yes I know its no excuse for him, and I am in no way blaming the Australian government for this guy?s act of foolishness).
I know farmers shoot some birds over there as pests, some of these birds are worth $1000's in other countries, I fail to see why they can't be caught & sold, this in turn would create revenue which could be spent on enforcing illegal import/export.
What does everyone else think?

 

[Rossagon]

Hey M-man, He was importing them, not exporting them (most of the stuff he had was PNG, purchased from somewhere in Indonesia). Although the export of Aus native animals is a continuous problem as well. Check out the Customs website for a quick look at what they are catching going in and out( although it is only a fraction of what is really getting through). www.customs.gov.au Check out the media room on the right menu.
And with the bird proposition, that has been considered periodically over the last couple of decades within the various state and federal governments, although no-one has ever come to an adequate(IMO sensible) conclusion. They just keep issuing farmers with licences to cull certain numbers of pest birds.

Cheers Rossco.

 

[Moreliaman]

Hey M-man, He was importing them, not exporting them.

Ross , i knew he was bringing stuff in
If imports out of australia were allowed periodically the guy would'nt have taken the risk of bringing all of that in to swap for a $100 reptile ! he could have bought it in his own country! or purchased it from government run importers.

thanks for that link, ill have a looksie :wink:

 

[Stevo]

When you get to Australia MM you will have to see one of those $100 blue heeler reptiles before you say it wasnt worth the risk..................

 

[ad]

Lmao Stevo, stop picking on the poms - for MM's benefit a blue heeler is a dog.

This guy got 9 months jail for bringing in Chondros - Green Iguanas - about 40 Reptiles.
Massive Penalty. What happenend to the $100k fine and 10 years hard labour everyone cites - I thought kids catching blue tongues were subject to these penalties. hmmmm
I dont think the animals should have been euthanized - easy option.

 

[meshe1969]

Several of the animals did not survive and the remainder were later destroyed by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service.

Maybe they where too far gone to nurse back to health, If several where already dead, the rest may have not been too far behind and thats why they destroyed them.

 

[peterjohnson64]

I think that is story about swapping it for a blue healer is absolute crap. He obviously knows a fair amount about buying and selling animals. He was just lieing to the courts. I could imagine that a criminal like him would be willing to do that. But really, why a frillie. They are SO RARE over here!!!

And ya gotta wonder just how many have got here before. So the theory on no Aussie GTP's sounds stronger now. I have heard of people buying GTP's leagally and then taking them off licence through fear of theft. Maybe they are just imports?

And please don't get me started on sentencing. if ya appoint left wing magistrates, guess what, you get left wing sentences. You can't buy a cocker spaniel and then expect it to be as a good a guard dog as a German Shephard...

 

[beknluke]

Maybe they where too far gone to nurse back to health, If several where already dead, the rest may have not been too far behind and thats why they destroyed them.

I seriously doubt that they would have even bothered in the first place meshe.
I know of a guy who had raised his pet adult boa since it was a hatchy, but was convinced by a friend to contact DSE and see if he could get a permit for it like they did during the amnesty.
Do you want to know what our government department did with it? They put it in a furnace in front of the guy while he was restrained.
We're talking about an animal that had lived here for at least a few years (and was born here!!) and they still killed it in the most in-humane way becuase of 'the risk of desease'.
I reckon that the people who actually throw the animals in there (the furnace) must be sick, twisted individuals. Makes me sick. Worse still, the people who authorise such things can sleep at night!
Bex

 

[ad]

I have heard of people buying GTP's leagally and then taking them off licence through fear of theft.

Man, you have heard some odd stories - do you really believe this?

 

[Bombie]

reptiles

they showed some of the reptiles on the news the other night,and a number of them seemed to be fine and healthy, i guess maybe putting them down is part of sending out a zero tolerance message to potential smugglers! mind you, i still think some of the healthier ones could have been offered to zoos etc.
as for the sentencing in this case, it is good to see them actually handing out sentences but i still think it is far too leniant to be a real warning to others. if he got three and a half years for approx. 40 reptiles - just what do you have to bring in to get the maximum 10 year sentence and $100K fine????
there are heaps of options regarding exotics as has been discussed many times here on aps, but unless they are going to enforce any of the rules to the full extent there is no point changing them!

anyway, thats just my opinion,
bombie

 

[ad]

if he got three and a half years

He did get 3 1/2 years but he will out of jail in October this year, then deported.

 

[peterjohnson64]

Ad, the reason I mentioned the story of the GTP's is because of it's dubious nature. But I did here it from a person who had one stolen. Not from a person who actually took it off licence. But then again, if you had a "hot" one, you'd probably say that wouldn't you....

 

[Moreliaman]

When you get to Australia MM you will have to see one of those $100 blue heeler reptiles before you say it wasnt worth the risk..................

lol Stevo....you should be on a stage mate.............................................................Sweeping it !!! :lol: :wink:

never heard of a blue heeler before, i just assumed it was another one of your weird names you have for your wildlife.

Oh and thanks for the insult......but im not a pom