It's all just a bunch of laughs until the piranhas eat a helicopter.
Posted on 01/29/2014 2:31:14 PM PST by nickcarraway
He instructed an overseas distributor to label the fish as silver tetras, prosecutors said
A New York City man is accused of smuggling nearly 40,000 piranhas into the U.S. by having them mislabeled as harmless aquarium fish, prosecutors said.
Joel Rakower and his fish distribution company pleaded guilty Wednesday and agreed to pay more than $70,000 in fines and restitution.
Authorities said Rakower admitted buying the aggressive fish from a Hong Kong supplier that he instructed to falsely label the shipments as silver tetras, a more common household fish.
He began importing the mislabeled fish in 2011, shortly after New York City prohibited possession of piranhas, and continued through 2012, prosecutors said.
In all, he smuggled 39,548 piranhas, worth $37,376, that were then sold to fish retailers throughout the U.S.
Twenty-five states either ban or regulate piranhas, which could pose a serious risk to ecosystems if they got into native waters.
Good to hear that.
Slightly off-topic, but check out a show called “River Monsters” on Animal Planet when you get a chance.
The guy on this show, professional fisherman Jeremy Wade, travels all over the world to find freshwater horrors that will give you nightmares.
Look for the “Piraya” episode and take a look at the teeth on THAT nightmare.
Or the Wels Catfish, and another called the Goonch. Simply hideous... and gigantic.
They may be popular in NY, where mob-types and drug dealers take those who annoy them for a “swim in the pool”.
F not C, good catch.
THIS is a Piraya,, and that’s Jeremy Wade
http://www.loyolaphoenix.com/im-hooked-river-monsters-captivates-unlikely-viewer
“River Monsters” has been on Netflix streaming. My kids like it.
Never fails to amaze me what he finds.
Doug and Dinsdale Piranah, the famous brothers depicted in Monty Python skits, also happened to be real.
Kind of parcel to the show myself.
I’ve only seen a few of them. The children usually watch tv while I’m in the kitchen.
Yeah, I enjoy it too.
It’s nature’s way of reminding you you’re NOT at the top of the food chain when you’re in the water...
Some of those critters he finds in the Amazon are freaking monstrous... the Vampire Fish... Goliath Tiger Fish...
I don’t know specifically about their temperature requirements, but I am sure there are quite a few places where they could survive. Florida Everglades comes to mind.
This guy’s punishment should include being forced to swim in a tank of piranhas.
Why do idiots get pythons or spiders or scorpions or vipers for “pets?” A bust in the city I work in was at some dealer’s house. Inside, the fool had a cobra in a tank with his drugs and money. They called animal control and they wouldn’t touch it. So they dug up some herpetologist someplace and made his day. Personally, I’d pour ice water in the tank and empty a couple CO2 extinguishers on it first.
It's all just a bunch of laughs until the piranhas eat a helicopter.
partial?
I quit reading the paper when Gary Larson retired.
Best cartoonist ever! Warren Tell still makes me chuckle.
parcel ,,, so much for spell checker.
I used to do that with my snakes. Only they don't strip their prey to the bone. They suffocate it and swallow it whole.
“..throw his ass in a pond with a few hundred of his fish...”
Bet he’d set a World Swimming Speed record.
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