Lucrative Illegal Animal Trade Thrives Globally Daniel Hajek - NPR.org
go to original April 6, 2014

Sony Dong was charged with smuggling songbirds into the United States by strapping fourteen of them to his legs and trying to walk out of the Los Angeles International Airport. (Associated Press)

Exotic animal trafficking is big business, and Southern California is a hub.

In March, Cheng Zhuo Liu of Chula Vista, Calif., pleaded guilty to smuggling frozen sea cucumbers over the Mexico border. The 100 pounds of sea cucumbers, worth up to $10,000, were found in the spare tire compartment of Liu's Hyundai.

Fish and Wildlife Service agent Erin Dean says there are many ways to traffic wildlife in Southern California. She says smuggling avenues include LAX, the sixth-busiest airport in the world; the Port of Los Angeles, the busiest port in the nation; and the Mexican border.

... The black market for exotic animals is a multibillion-dollar industry. The market for illegal wildlife falls right behind drug and weapons smuggling in the U.S. and globally.

Read the rest at NPR.org

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