Antique Dealer Sentenced for Lacey Act Violation on Imported Whale Parts
The Justice Department and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) have announced that David Place, the owner of Manor House Antiques Cooperative in Massachusetts, was sentenced to 33 months in prison for illegally importing and trafficking in Narwhal tusks and Sperm Whale teeth in violation of the Lacey Act.
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Man Illegally Imported Whale Teeth & Narwhal Tusks into U.S.
Place was convicted of charges for Lacey Act violations, smuggling for buying and illegally importing Sperm Whale teeth and Narwhal tusks into the U.S., selling the teeth and tusks after their illegal importation, and for conspiracy. DOJ states that the market value of the illegally imported teeth and tusks sold by Place was determined to be between $200,000 and $400,000.
One of Place’s co-conspirators, Andrei Mikhalyov from Ukraine, pleaded guilty in federal court on related charges. He served a nine month prison sentence and was deported to the Ukraine.
Need Permit/Cert to Import Sperm Whale or Narwhal Parts, Must Declare to CBP
The DOJ states that sperm Whales are listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and are listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Narwhals are listed as “threatened” under the ESA, and are listed on Appendix II of CITES. Being listed as such, it is illegal to import parts of either the Sperm Whale or the Narwhal into the U.S. without the requisite permits/certifications, and without declaring the merchandise at the time of importation to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.