Japanese Nat'l Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Turtles & Tortoises into U.S.
On August 1, 2011, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced that Atsushi Yamagami, a Japanese national, has pleaded guilty to illegally smuggling into the U.S. a shipment of 55 live turtles and tortoises that were…
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concealed in snack food boxes discovered in a suitcase at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The turtles and tortoises comprised of 42 species, all protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), an international treaty that protects species being threatened by international trade. Species protected under CITES can be legally traded only if the exporting country issues a permit. Another Japanese national, Norihide Ushirozako, also pleaded guilty for carrying the reptiles discovered at LAX in return for payment from Yamagami.