Three people have been arrested in California after authorities seized hundreds of elephant tusks, rhinoceros horns and other animal parts from protected species.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife opened an investigation earlier this month after authorities in Fresno intercepted a falsely labeled shipment of illegal animal products from Thailand, according to a Friday press release from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Inside the shipment were four elephant trunks that authorities determined were from Asian elephants, a species protected under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species.
Officers also seized hundreds of illegal products made from ivory and elephant, as well as other products from poached animals, including rhino horns, walrus tusks, suspected bear gall bladders, saiga antelope and turtle shells.
Three suspects, whose identities have not been publicly shared, have been booked into the Fresno County Jail, facing charges involving wildlife trafficking violations under the California Fish and Game Code.
Charges are set to be filed with the Fresno and Madera County district attorney’s offices.
Nathan Smith, the Assistant Chief, Special Operations for Law Enforcement Division, California Fish and Wildlife, told Fox 26 that this is one of the largest cases of trafficking illegal animal products in recent years.
“We have discovered cases like this, across the years, throughout the years, for the past 10 years. But this one, this definitely marks one of the larger cases for sure,” Smith said.
The same day, officers in Madera County, just north of Fresno, also shut down an illegal rooster-fighting ring, where they found illegal derivatives of protected kestrel falcons, according to the report.
“Those were residences that we had in Madera County that were connected to the Fresno facility. So everything had a nexus back to the Fresno facility. Still, those were home residences of some of the employees, where we believed that they also possessed illegal wildlife parts,” Smith said.
Allan Crawford, vice president of the World Wildlife Fund, told Fox that these illegal items are still sought after because they are considered “high fashion” by many.
“For rhino horn, Asia has typically been the primary demand center, but there are other regions, and the US is no exception. And those can be used for traditional medicine. There’s also, they’re also used almost as a party drug in some countries, where they believe it helps you party all night. And also the mis-founded belief that it will cure cancer as well,” Crawford said.
While only three arrests have been made, the CDFW told Fox 26 there are about seven suspects in total. More arrests may come as the investigation continues, according to the report.
