BUSTED!!! Long time coming

[Ed_r]

This is in Illinois. I almost went to this swap that day. Kudos to the officers finally doing something about this. For some backround I frequent this swap. All the time there are baby turtles (bout an inch to inch and a half long) Caiman, American Alligators, and NILE CROCODILES. that are sold on a weekly basis. Note No Crocadilians are legal to poses or sell in Illinois.

"Authorities go after illegal reptile vendors at show"
By Rukmini Callimachi Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted on September 17, 2002

A yearlong investigation into illegal reptile trading ended in
Streamwood this weekend, when 20 state and federal law enforcement
agents descended upon a "reptile swap" Sunday morning at Lee
Watson's farm on Schaumburg Road.

Fourteen of the reptile vendors at the show were arrested, said
Illinois Conservation Police Investigator Michael Lyne, and at least
three more arrests are pending. In addition, a total of 37
misdemeanor citations were issued.

Charges ranged from the possession of venomous snakes to the sale of
baby turtles, banned by the Food and Drug Administration because
they are known carriers of the salmonella bacteria.

The show, known as Lee Watson's Reptile Swap, takes place at
Watsons' Crosswinds Farm, which is licensed as a zoo through the
Department of Agriculture. Now in its 12th year, the swap is an
institution in Illinois for exotic reptile collectors.

More than 50 vendors were exhibiting on Sunday, some having come
from as far as Springfield.

Many of the vendors were conducting legal trades, said Lyne. But it
was the blatantness of the illegal trading that prompted the raid,
he said.

"We were conducting a yearlong investigation into the reptile trade -
not just Lee Watson's swap, but illegal reptile trade anywhere in
the state," said Lyne.

A December 2001 arrest in Will County in which 11 venomous snakes
were seized - including the rare and highly poisonous monacled
albino cobra - were traced back to the Streamwood swap, Lyne said.

Other arrests and tips from animal control agents began to point
back to the Streamwood meet, which is held on the first Saturday and
third Sunday of every month, he said.

"That was just one case," said Lyne of the Will County arrest. "But
every case we've dealt with has pointed back to Lee Watson."

Watson, however, was not among the arrests made Sunday. He organizes
the twice monthly events and makes his money from entry fees paid by
visitors and vendor fees paid by the sellers.

Despite the raid Sunday, his shows have not been shut down.

Watson, a veteran of the reptile business whose wife received a
citation Sunday for her bearded dragons, expressed shock and dismay
at what he felt was the confrontational way in which the raid was
handled.

"They all had guns and flak jackets, like they were ready for a
shoot-out," said Watson. "They came in and made an announcement on
our speaker system. They said, 'We have armed officers at every
entrance of this exhibit.' Basically, people started wondering if it
was a joke. But a lot of kids were frightened."

Seven years ago, Watson said, a similar raid was conducted by only a
handful of agents. In that case, citations were issued to vendors
who did not have the proper licenses for their animals.

"For what they were trying to do," said Watson, "they could have
accomplished it with three or four officers. But there had to have
been 20 on Sunday. It was complete overkill."

Lyne said that the number of agents was partially a reflection of
the number of agencies involved in the raid - which included not
just the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, but also the Food
and Drug Administration, the Illinois Department of Agriculture and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Plainclothes officers arrived first and bought some baby turtles
from vendors.

Then a second wave of officers came in and took positions by the
doors of the exhibition hall. After the announcement was made on the
hall's PA system, visitors were asked to leave single-file through
one door, and their bags were examined. Meanwhile, the vendors were
detained and searched.

Cars in the parking lot were also searched, said Lyne.

Lyne said that many of the vendors were selling legal items on their
tabletops but were concealing the endangered or illegal species in
containers beneath their tables.

One Waukegan man had "in excess of 600 baby and undersize turtles,"
said Lyne. "He was charged with not having a license, not keeping
records, commercialization of the resources and being over the
limit. He was the worst in the number of turtles - but there were
many others."

Baby turtles, said Lyne, are a money-making venture.

"The vendors purchase them for 75 cents and then sell them for $5.
That's a 400 percent mark-up. When your 5-year-old kid is standing
there, and all he wants is that cute turtle, it's hard to say no."

Watson said that, although one person was caught with a venomous
snake in the exhibition hall, that person was not a registered
vendor, nor did he attempt to sell the snake.

But Lyne said that very behavior fits the suspected pattern.

Agents have thought all along, said Lyne, that illegal traders were
using the Streamwood swap as a meeting ground - and as a place to
create alliances before attempting a sale.

"We've had comments all along that there was an underground trade
between dealers and people they knew and trusted at the fair with
items that would be illegal to sell over the table. This is a place
where they made those contacts," Lyne said.

A timber rattlesnake, outlawed under the Illinois Dangerous Animals
Act, was found under the table of a 21-year-old Roselle resident.

Kathleen Polizzi, a Wonder Lake resident, said that her three
teenage children were detained at the reptile show and their bags
were searched. She was angry.

"My children were held against their will," she said. "They had no
right to be searching spectators at the door. As if these children
are going to grab animals and put them in their bags."

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[telefrag]

wow,

wonder who had the nile crocs.....
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[Ed_r]

Yup up until last week $200.00 and you could have been the proud owner of a future 20' man eating Nile Crocodile. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img] I never could understand that. I'm waiting to see a Salty show up next.
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[Ritchie]

yeah like the man said...
Kudos to the officers....

Kudows to the officers who gave out citations for the bearded dragons.
Kudows to the officers who gave out citations to the guy who had the bearded dragons but had no aquaculture permit.

What does aquaculture have to do with a desert dwelling species from australia.


<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> Note No Crocadilians are legal to poses or sell in Illinois.
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
Note...nothing is legal to posses in the liberal state of Illinois

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> Authorities go after illegal reptile vendors at show </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
that is why they detained the customers....even the little kids?
That is why they only caught one guy with a venomous....and he was not even a vendor

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>Cars in the parking lot were also searched, said Lyne. </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
maybe I am wrong...but don't they need consent for that? either that or some kind of warant?


Good thing I was not at that show.
Holding me against my will without pending charges.
Searching me without a warrant
Searching my possesions without a warant.
Detaining me and my infant daughter because we decided to go and enjoy a reptile show.
Heads would be rolling.

Besides...what can you own in chicago anyway?
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[Ritchie]

sorry I get carried away when I think my rights are being violated.
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[najaboy]

Alas, there is a thread regarding this on the Board of Inquiry. Unfortunately, the thread is so full of anti-cop b.s., that I'm washing my hands of it. For that matter, I've opted to take a leave of absence from the BOI. Whether or not this will be permenant, I don't know.

The bottom line is that if you do a show, research the laws of at least the state, if not the city, that the show is in. Multiple laws were knowingly broken by vendors at this show, and it gave the entire herp industry a black eye.
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[najaboy]

Ritchie, the aquaculture permit was a mistake. The permit is only needed for herps native to the state of IL.

The timber was found under tha table of a vendor.

The detention of customers was legal. It could also be argued that the searches were legal, depending on who conducted the search and who exactly was searched. For instance, here in MI, DNR officers can conduct some warrantless searches. Also, it could easily be the case that the vehicle owners consented to the search.

Once again, the most important lesson that we can all take away from this is to know the laws that are applicable to that state. A handful of vendors chose to disregard those laws, and now we all have to deal with the bad publicity.


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[Ed_r]

I really dont have a problem with the kids being searched. Ok the cars being searched may be overkill.
<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> maybe I am wrong...but don't they need consent for that? either that or some kind of warant? </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

No they don't need a warrant. If the police feel a need to legitamately search a vehicle. They do have ask permission to search the trunk though. If they feel your suspicious the police have the right to gut the inside of your vehicle(usually in a drug bust).

You really have to understand that this show has been doing illegal sales for many years.

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>Note...nothing is legal to posses in the liberal state of Illinois </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

That is so not true. Anything that is dangerous you need a permit for. If your going to keep venemous, there needs to be a legitamate reason why to own it. In Illinois Timber Rattlesankes Are nearly extinct. There is NO WAY they should be being sold or possesed at a show.

And lets face it who really needs to have a gator or better yet a Nile Croc.

If these people can't live withing the states laws, either do the following:
A)Move to a state that has the herp laws that accomodate you.

B)Don't be stupid enough to take an Illegal animal into the public!



_________________
Reptiles are like Pokemon... Gotta catch em all!!!

[najaboy]

Just to clarify search law &amp; procedure...

If an officer has probable cause to search a vehicle (including trunk), no coonsent or warrant is needed. Basically, the officer must have enough information to go on- reasonable suspicion is not enough.

The other scenerio involves the vehicle owner consenting to the search. It's been my experience that about 60% of individuals actually consent to a search, even if they have something to hide. You don't have to consent to a search. If there's no probable cause, the officer will just let you go on your way.
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[joerissa]

Watson, a veteran of the reptile business whose wife received a
citation Sunday for her bearded dragons, expressed shock and dismay
at what he felt was the confrontational way in which the raid was
handled.

OK I am confused!!! Why did she get a citation for Bearded Dragons?
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[najaboy]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>OK I am confused!!! Why did she get a citation for Bearded Dragons? </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

A mistake. She was cited for not having an aquaculture permit, which is only required for native herps.
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[Ritchie]

got it.....
as for anti cop stuff.
I have MP friends.....and they are among the nicest people...

but anyway thanks for the clarifications and edumacations
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