California Man Charged With Smuggling, Selling Pesticides
Paulo Perez-Mendoza of Stockton, California, was charged March 28 with conspiracy to "receive and sell smuggled pesticides" into the U.S., the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California announced.
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From January 2019 to March 2024, Perez allegedly "recruited" another person to smuggle the pesticides into the U.S. from Mexico and deliver them to his California business, Perez Generation Honeybee Ranch. From 2020 to 2022, Perez bought "1,000 to 1,500 liters at a time," paying around $476,680 for the "banned product," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The product was resold in states including Oregon, Washington, Georgia and Florida.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said that only pesticides registered with the EPA may be imported into the U.S., adding that imports must have the proper EPA registration number on their labels with the phrase "EPA Registration No." or "EPA Reg. No." The smuggled products were Taktic and Bovitraz with the amitraz active ingredient at a 12.5% emulsifiable concentration, "which, in this form, is an unregistered pesticide in the United States."
Perez faces a maximum five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy charge and a one-year prison sentence and $25,000 fine for the "unlawful sale and distribution of pesticides" charge.