A 17-year-old man pleaded guilty this week to helping his brother-in-law and father-in-law with smuggling more than 160 endangered species into Mexico this summer.
Roberto Angel Roman-Alvarez pleaded guilty on Wednesday to the unlawful import, export, sale and purchase of wildlife.
Federal agents arrested him along with his brother-in-law, 32-year-old Jonathan Roberto Rojas-Casados, and his father-in-law, 50-year-old Roberto Rojas-Ramirez, on Aug. 3 as they tried to cross into Mexico through the Hidalgo port of entry. They were driving a Ford Econoline laden with 162 endangered animals.
During an inspection of that vehicle, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found two tegus; two tortoises; 21 snakes; five Chinese water dragons; two iguanas; 11 scorpions; eight rainbow jacksons; 16 tarantulas; two Indonesian blue tongues; 16 frogs; 45 geckos; 20 anoles; three albino nelsons; six lizards; and three fruit fly cultures.
A federal grand jury has since indicted the trio on one count of smuggling wildlife from the United States and a count of the unlawful import, export, sale and purchase of wildlife.
In exchange for Roman-Alvarez’s plea, prosecutors have agreed to dismiss the count of smuggling wildlife from the United States.
Rojas-Casados and Rojas-Ramirez have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said they all face up to a decade in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted.
