California Man Sentenced to 65 Months for Smuggling 1,700 Reptiles

Overview

• Jose Manuel Perez, who was sentenced May 29, received 65 months in federal prison for wildlife trafficking and smuggling convictions and will serve that term while already serving a separate nine-year sentence for felon-in-possession firearms charges.
• Federal filings say the scheme ran from January 2016 through February 2022 and illegally imported at least 1,700 reptiles with a combined market value above $739,000.
• Investigators say Perez and co-conspirators used social media to advertise and arrange sales, posted images and video of wild-caught animals, and paid middlemen to move shipments across the border.
• For Mexico-sourced shipments, accomplices collected animals at Ciudad Juárez International Airport, transported them by vehicle into El Paso, charged a per-crossing fee, and routed animals to residences in Missouri and later California.
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service led the probe with help from DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, Customs and Border Protection, and HSI, and authorities warned the case highlights threats to species protection and risks from online wildlife markets.