"Wildlife Trafficker Sentenced to 5.4 Years in Prison: Southern California Man's Operation Smuggled Thousands of Live Reptiles into the US. A shocking case of wildlife trafficking has come to a close with the sentencing of Jose Manuel Perez, a 34-year-old Southern California man, to 65 months in federal prison. Authorities uncovered a years-long operation that smuggled thousands of live reptiles into the United States from Mexico and China, highlighting the dark underbelly of the global wildlife trade. Perez's guilty plea in August 2022 marked a significant milestone in the investigation, which was led by federal prosecutors who alleged that the operation was a brazen example of wildlife trafficking and smuggling goods into the country."
A Southern California man has been sentenced to 65 months in federal prison after authorities uncovered a years-long operation that smuggled thousands of live reptiles into the United States from Mexico and China. Jose Manuel Perez, 34, pleaded guilty in August 2022 to smuggling goods into the country and wildlife trafficking. Federal prosecutors said that...
