Score One For The Good Guys!

Tom

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I want more info. Were the turtles purchased legally? How was he "smuggling" them? Lots of buzz words thrown around in that article and the .gov types have been busting a lot of people lately for no good reason other than they are animal rightists and don't like people to have animals.

If this guy broke laws and did something wrong, then I'm glad he got busted. I'm just not going to assume he did something wrong because the feds say so. They lie, cheat and steal on a regular basis.
 

wellington

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I'm glad they were able to catch them. I hate though that this country doesnt have the smarts, knowledge, or resources to get them back to the wild.
 

wellington

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I want more info. Were the turtles purchased legally? How was he "smuggling" them? Lots of buzz words thrown around in that article and the .gov types have been busting a lot of people lately for no good reason other than they are animal rightists and don't like people to have animals.

If this guy broke laws and did something wrong, then I'm glad he got busted. I'm just not going to assume he did something wrong because the feds say so. They lie, cheat and steal on a regular basis.

He pleaded guilty and had some endangered. It was over like a 2 year period they were investigating this. I think this is a legit bust.
(EUGENE, Ore.—A Chinese national pleaded guilty today for directing a scheme whereby hundreds of endangered and vulnerable turtles were purchased in the U.S. and smuggled via U.S. mail and commercial airline flights to China.)
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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He pleaded guilty and had some endangered. It was over like a 2 year period they were investigating this. I think this is a legit bust.
(EUGENE, Ore.—A Chinese national pleaded guilty today for directing a scheme whereby hundreds of endangered and vulnerable turtles were purchased in the U.S. and smuggled via U.S. mail and commercial airline flights to China.)
I read that, BUT... Sometimes they threaten you with worse and its just easier to go along with them railroading you. You and I have a lot of fight in us (Possibly even to our own detriment...), but a lot of people just take it and don't want to, or know how to, fight the federal government.

Case in point: The feds busted a well known tortoise breeder after he repeatedly refused to break or bend any law. They arrested him and confiscated all his animals anyway. Served a warrant and trashed his house, stole his computer ("Evidence"), etc.... Never charged him with a crime. They asked him to sign a "confession", and promised everything would be okay if he just signed it. He asked what he was being charged with and what he was confessing to, and they told him "we haven't decided yet, and we have 12 months to charge you..." They wanted him to sign a blank sheet and they would fill in what he was confessing to later. I'm not exaggerating. Couldn't make this up if I tried. These kinds of things are happening all over and on a regular basis.

Experience has taught me to be skeptical.
 

mark1

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looks like most if not all are cites ll , if they were legally obtained , guy should have gotten an export permit , he wouldn't be in the paper or facing jail time …….. a good portion of adult turtles of these types , while being sold legally from non-range states certainly appear to me to be wild caught animals ……...
 

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