Posted on 02/22/2014 12:18:32 PM PST by nickcarraway
A new Jersey man was found guilty Friday of illegally trafficking and smuggling imported whale tusks.
A federal jury in Bangor, Maine, also found Andrew L. Zarauskas, 60, of Union, N.J., guilty of money laundering crimes associated with the purchase and attempted sale of tusks from narwhals, a medium-sized whale with an extremely long tusk that is much-sought by collectors.
The conviction was announced in a U.S. Department of Justice statement. An indictment by a federal grand jury in Maine had named Zarauskas and an alleged co-conspirator: Jay G. Conrad of Lakeland, Tenn., who pleaded guilty in January.
"Zarauskas and his co-conspirators flouted U.S. law and international agreements that protect marine mammals such as the narwhal for their own personal financial benefit," Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division, said in the statement. "The Justice Department will continue to investigate and prosecute those engaged in this insidious trade in order to protect species for future generations to enjoy."
Between 2002 and 2008, Zarauskas purchased roughly 33 narwhal tusks that he knew were ilegally imported to the U.S. from Canada in violation of federal law, the Justice Department said.
Sentencing dates for Zarauskus and Conrad have not been set.
I’ve been accused of smuggling a narwal tusk myself a time or two.
sounds like a whale of a story
I believe if an Eskimo carves his initials into one and calls it art, they are legal to own. Narwhal tusks were passed off as unicorn horns a few centuries ago.
Zarauskas - Smuggling narwhal horns.
Rock - WTF?
Maybe he should of tried the defense of “I thought they were Unicorn horns”, those aren’t protected are they?
So the perfect defense would be to claim they are unicorn horns?
“Narwhal tusks were passed off as unicorn horns a few centuries ago.
So the perfect defense would be to claim they are unicorn horns?”
He should’ve claimed he found them on the beach...
Elizabeth the 1st had one:
http://onthetudortrail.com/Blog/2010/10/20/elizabeth-is-magical-unicorn-by-carlyn-beccia/
yeah but she was a queen
FWIW it is illegal to own or possess any raptor parts around here although i am fond of the great horned owl talons adorning my walking stick
I got just the thing.
Would the material make good pistol handles?
It’s ivory.
Captain Nemo...
I bet they are legal in Canada but the envrio wackos decides its not nice to bring them here.
What’s so wrong with a .45ACP Kimber with ivory handles?
Hell, when I was a teen, I played billiards with balls made of ivory. (Not mine, but with the ones one the table.)
Patton had ivory handles on the revolver he carried and nobody complained about them.
What’s wrong with you, America?
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