Loose lips sink ships. Basically, if you're going to commit a crime then you probably shouldn't brag about it. A couple of loud mouth poachers found themselves in legal hot water after bragging about smuggling a turtle skull. They didn't realize a couple of officers sat next to them on the flight.
Poachers Byron Lee Fitzpatrick and Shannon Lee Price attempted to smuggle the skull of a federally protected turtle on a plane. The two hid the skull inside their jacket. But their mouths got them in trouble. A couple K9 handlers with the Northern Enforcement District of California were also on the flight.
They had been doing training and were returning to California. The officers weren't wearing their uniforms. So the poachers thought they had the freedom to brag about their kills. They confessed to smuggling the turtle skull as well as killing a mountain lion and owning other illegal animal taxidermy pieces.
Poachers Brag
They showed the officers their trophy room via a video. Officers then returned to their districts and got search warrants to raid the couple's house as well as a family member's. While there, they found a host of illegal poaching contraband. All three people involved pleaded guilty to the crimes.
"This case exemplifies the unwavering preparedness and swift action demonstrated by our wildlife officers," said CDFW Chief of Law Enforcement Nathaniel Arnold. "It highlights a broad spectrum of natural resource violations and underscores the critical role our officers play in safeguarding our resources, not only here in California but elsewhere throughout the country and abroad."
"These violations encompass the take of deer out of season and the illegal possession of taxidermy, including endangered and protected species. Like human and narcotics trafficking, wildlife trafficking of both live animals and animal parts is known to fund transnational criminal organizations and their violent activities all over the world. The individuals involved exhibited a flagrant disregard for laws governing natural resources and are now being held accountable for their actions."
Ultimately, the poachers couldn't shut up about their crimes. That's what caused them to pay the price for them.
