Snake Smuggling Ring Busted (NT)

[MrBredli]

Snake smuggling ring busted
By NIGEL ADLAM
09dec05

A MAJOR wildlife smuggling racket has been smashed in the Territory.

Parks and Wildlife Service officers have seized a consignment of about 80 reptiles bound for Sydney. A snake and lizards are believed to have been found in a crate.

About 20 of them were dead. The rest are being cared for at the Territory Wildlife Park.

It is the biggest known illegal shipment of Northern Territory wildlife.

The reptiles are believed to have been captured in the wild near Alice Springs.

They would have been worth more than $10,000 on the black market.

Parks and Wildlife Service officers swooped on a freight shipment at the Australian Air Express depot in Darwin on Monday.

The reptiles were found tightly packed in cloth bags in a wooden box, which is believed to have been sent from Alice Springs on December 2 and was bound for Sydney.

The haul included a Stimson's python and several species of lizard, including earless, central bearded, long-nosed water and netted dragons and smooth-tailed and spiny-tailed geckos.

The smugglers face prosecution under the Wildlife Conservation Act and could be fined up to $50,000 or be jailed for five years.

Environment Minister Marion Scrymgour said charges under the Animal Welfare Act, which carry a maximum penalty of $10,000 or 12 months' jail, may also be laid.

A Sydney man in his late 20s or early 30s is being interviewed by New South Wales police.

Ms Scrymgour praised the NT Parks and Wildlife Service and the NSW Environment Department for their work in the joint operation.

From here: http://www.ntnews.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,17509922%5E13569,00.html

 

[Greebo]

I hope they get a jail term because of it.

 

[playwell]

I hope they get the maxmum penalty . Cruel inconsiderate %#%#%##.

 

[junglemad]

20 dead reptiles victims of greed

 

[herptrader]

You have got to wonder why they would bother. None of the species listed are of very high value. Then there is the hassle of getting them feeding and onto a licence. This would significantly depress their black market value to the point where they would get little out of it anyway.

Obviously pretty dumb smugglers who deserve to have the book thrown at them!

 

[Retic]

Jail term ? Maximum sentence ? Yeah right, it's never happened and it probably never will.

 

[ad]

They were probably for someones collection more than for making a million on the black market.
I dont see it as 'crime of the century' - I'm guessing $1000 fine maximum.
Ad

 

[Jason]

unfortunatly i agree they will probably cop a slap on the rist and a little fine. i sore this on the news (last night i think) and i have to agree, why bother? every thing in the northern is in captivity and generally in good numbers, just greedy dogs to do this :evil: i say they cop the lot, the highest fine and the longest jail sentence, show them that this wont be tolerated and hopefully stop others from trying.

 

[Retic]

That's right Ad, these things are happening all the time and to be honest doesn't seem that significant from a numbers point of view. Don't take that to mean they shouldn't be punished, with that number of animals a fine is appropriate but jail time is not appropriate when killers walk free from our courts.

 

[Hickson]

You have got to wonder why they would bother. None of the species listed are of very high value.

Of course, just because they were in a crate 'bound for Sydney' doesn't mean they were going to stay in Sydney. Perhaps they were gonna end up on a flight to the States, or Japan.



Hix

 

[Retic]

Looking at the list of species I would have thought it was unlikely they were going overseas but possible I suppose. There has always been and presumably always will be a thriving black market in these things in this country.

You have got to wonder why they would bother. None of the species listed are of very high value.

Of course, just because they were in a crate 'bound for Sydney' doesn't mean they were going to stay in Sydney. Perhaps they were gonna end up on a flight to the States, or Japan.



Hix

 

[zulu]

re Snake

Deserve a kick in the bum for the pathetic way they were shipped,very cruel,obviously a cowboy type :roll:

 

[zen]

Shocking news :shock:

Serves them right!

Throw the book at them, I say.

Eye for an eye I reckon.
:idea: Pack the smugglers tightly in bags & boxes & freight them around Oz on an exhibition tour!.

 

[moosenoose]

Jail term ? Maximum sentence ? Yeah right, it's never happened and it probably never will.

lol Exactly! You can kill a fellow human being these days and get out of prison in 5 yrs! Who the hell cares about a bunch of 'slimy' reptiles! hehehe

I hope they get carstrated myself! :lol:

 

[hugsta]

They'll probably get a slap on the wrist, a small fine and have there licences taken away. Hopefully Jeff Hardy may be able to shed some light on what may happen to these people. Hopefully they may use them as an example and send them to gaol.

 

[Retic]

I would be willing to bet there is no way in the world they will get prison.

 

[shellshock]

geedy people who do thisb just out of profit deserve the maximum

 

[BROWNS]

Yep sux for sure and can't see why they would smuggle within the country in large numbers.Maybe they were destind for the overseas market,who knows but seem likr a stupid bunch.

Looking at it another way when Snakes NT were operating they were still doing much the same except it wwas all licenced but still all wild caught sold directly to the public and all of the species weren't uncommon in captivity at all.

 

[kahn_10]

its sad too say but they will probably walk away with only a slap on the wrist and nothin else and then ya look back at the animals last hour of life in bags dehydrated probably starved and down right cruel

 

[Guest]

Looking at it another way when Snakes NT were operating they were still doing much the same except it wwas all licenced but still all wild caught sold directly to the public and all of the species weren't uncommon in captivity at all.

hehehehe, sounds like another state i know of.