(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission concluded up a 19-month investigation Monday into a flying-squirrel trafficking ring operating out of the state leading to charges against seven people.
In January 2019, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission received a complaint from a concerned citizen about individuals illegally trapping flying squirrels in a rural area of Marion County, Florida. Flying squirrels, a protected wild animal in Florida, are sold internationally in the pet trade.
Over the next 19 months, FWC Investigators pieced together an elaborate scheme in which flying squirrels were illegally captured by poachers in multiple counties throughout central Florida. The flying squirrels were then sold to a wildlife dealer in Bushnell and were laundered through the licensed business of this dealer, who claimed they were captive bred.
The poachers deployed as many as 10,000 squirrel traps throughout central Florida and as many as 3,600 flying squirrels were captured in less than three years. In three years, the wildlife dealer received as much as $213,800 in gross illegal proceeds. The FWC estimates the international retail value of the poached wildlife will exceed $1 million.
According to the FWC, investigators learned "buyers from South Korea would travel to the United States and purchase the flying squirrels from the wildlife dealer in Bushnell. The animals were then driven in rental cars to Chicago, where the source of the animals was further concealed, and the animals were exported to Asia by an unwitting international wildlife exporter."
As the operation expanded, couriers from the state of Georgia would take over the transports. One Georgia courier would fly to Orlando, rent a vehicle and drive the animals to Atlanta. A second hired courier would then drive the animals to Chicago. Each of the new participants would not know the identity of the other suspects.
The seven people charged face a total of 25 felonies, including racketeering, money laundering and scheming to defraud. Six of the suspects have been arrested and a seventh remains a fugitive. The agency said more arrests are expected.
“Wildlife conservation laws protect Florida’s precious natural resources from abuse. The concerned citizen who initially reported this activity started an investigation that uncovered a major smuggling operation. These poachers could have severely damaged Florida’s wildlife populations,” said Maj. Grant Burton, FWC Investigation’s section leader.
The Florida suspects also illegally shipped protected freshwater turtles and alligators from Tampa to Los Angeles, where California authorities intercepted the reptiles, the FWC said.
The public can help by reporting any suspected violations to the FWC by calling the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) or texting Tip@MyFWC.com. Further charges and arrests as a result of this investigation may be forthcoming. The investigation is being prosecuted by the Florida Attorney General’s Office.