Abstract
Wildlife law enforcement officers of the Interior Department's
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have concluded a two-year investigation
that documented extensive illegal trade in protected parrots,
Interior Secretary Don Hodel announced today.
Thirty-six people in six states -Indiana, Missouri, Illinois,
Wisconsin, Texas and California- will be prosecuted for felony
violations of U.S. smuggling statutes and the Lacey Act, a federal
law aimed at preventing illegal trade in protected wildlife. One
defendant, already prosecuted, is serving 18 months in jail.
Hodel said, "Operation Psittacine documented large-scale
trade in smuggled parrots from Mexico and Central and South
America into the United States. Information gathered during the
investigation indicates as many as 26,000 birds a year are smuggled
across the Mexican border near Brownsville, Texas, alone."
Smuggled parrots valued at an estimated $468,000 along with
aircraft and vehicles valued at $93,000 were seized during the
investigation. Species seized include thick-billed parrots, scarlet
macaws, black palm cockatoos, double yellow-headed Amazon
parrots, yellow-naped parrots, red-lored parrots, and Mexican
red-headed parrots. The birds are protected under the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species. The thickbilled
parrot is listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered
Species Act.