Randy L. Powell, 39, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Benton, Illinois, to a two-count felony information charging Powell with the smuggling of endangered wildlife. Powell, a graduate student studying zoology at a local university, could receive up to 5 years in prison with a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is pending.
The investigation of Powells activities began in early 1997 when Service special agents Timothy Santel and Dan Burleson received information that Powell, a skull collector, had smuggled endangered wildlife into the United States from South America during a university research project. Santel and Burleson, working undercover, contacted Powell and learned that the student possessed a large collection of animal skulls, including state and federally endangered species from the United States and other countries.
During conversations with the undercover agents, Powell revealed that he had smuggled various wildlife parts into the United States from Peru, including skulls of the endangered ocelot and tapir, as well as the teeth from a jaguar. The ocelot and jaguar, wild cats, and the tapir, a large, hoofed animal, inhabit the jungle regions of the Amazon rain forest in Peru. All wildlife is protected in Peru and cannot be exported without proper permits and authorization from the Peruvian government.
Santel and Burleson also learned that Powell and other students were planning a return trip to continue research projects on the Amazon River near Iquiptos, Peru. The agents believed Powell would be smuggling additional wildlife parts into the U.S. upon his return in August 1997, and coordinated with Service special agents, U.S. Customs agents, and airline security in Miami, Florida, to apprehend Powell as he returned to the United States from South America.
On August 16, 1997, agents in Miami found that Powell and other students had failed to declare the more than 4,500 preserved fish specimens in containers being imported from Peru. In addition, Powell had personally collected and smuggled other wildlife inside these fish containers, including preserved specimens of venomous snakes, frogs, toads, insects, and the head of a red-footed tortoise, a species protected by international treaty because of its vulnerability to collection and trade.
As Powell was apprehended in Miami, special agents executed a Federal search warrant on Powells residence in Marion, Illinois. Nearly 100 skulls of native and exotic wildlife were seized, including species protected by state and Federal law. Some of the species discovered included skulls of tapir, ocelot, Tracaja river turtle, big-headed Amazon turtles, bobcat and river otter. Agents also found teeth from jaguar, capuchin monkey, South American peccary (a type of wild pig), and caiman, along with quills from an Old World porcupine. The specimens were smuggled from Peru, Venezuela, and Borneo.
Whether its animal skulls from South America, live parrots from Mexico, or bear gall bladders from Canada, anytime there is a demand for wild animal parts, wildlife can be affected by trade, said Santel. It is these types of smuggling activities that can ultimately put wild populations of sensitive species at risk of extinction.
Smuggling such species is a violation of the Federal Lacey Act, which prohibits interstate trade and commerce in protected species; the Endangered Species Act; Illinois state law; and smuggling statutes. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Coonan and Department of Justice attorney Jonathan Blackmer.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
