Reptile Dealer Rance Pleads Guilty to Snake Trafficking, Gun Charges

VALDOSTA, Ga. — A Miami reptile dealer has admitted to funneling venomous snakes and protected turtles through the U.S. mail for illegal export to China, part of a black-market pipeline cracked open by federal agents. Ashtyn Michael Rance, 35, pleaded guilty Thursday, Nov. 18, to one count of Lacey Act Trafficking and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. U.S. District Judge Hugh Lawson presided. Sentencing is set for Feb. 23, 2022, with each charge carrying up to five and 10 years in prison, respectively, and a $250,000 fine per count.

Rance, operating from a residence in Valdosta, Georgia, admitted to shipping 19 turtles — three eastern box turtles and 16 spotted turtles — on Feb. 22, 2018, falsely labeled as “Live Tropical Fish” en route to Florida, knowing the final destination was China. He collected $3,300 for the illicit shipment. Just months later, on May 10, 2018, Rance packed 15 Gaboon vipers — highly venomous snakes capable of delivering lethal doses of toxin — in a parcel marked as containing harmless reptiles and ball pythons. The package was again routed through Florida with China as the ultimate stop.

“Trafficking venomous or endangered wildlife through the mail clearly puts the delivery couriers and the public at risk and can harm the boxed animals,” said Peter D. Leary, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. “Our office will enforce Lacey Act law put in place to protect the public and our nation’s wildlife. Law enforcement agencies working on Operation Middleman are successfully preventing the illegal smuggling of wildlife out of the United States and protecting our citizens.”

On May 11, 2018, federal agents executed a search warrant at Rance’s Valdosta home. Inside, they seized a Bushmaster Carbine .223 caliber rifle and a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun — both illegal for Rance to possess due to his status as a convicted felon. The firearms discovery compounded the wildlife charges, painting a picture of a dealer operating outside the law on multiple fronts.

The federal Lacey Act, the nation’s oldest wildlife protection statute, makes it a crime to transport wildlife across state lines if it was taken or possessed in violation of state law. Rance acknowledged he violated Georgia statutes by possessing and selling the reptiles. Mislabeling wildlife packages — as he did with both shipments — is also a direct violation of the Act. The spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) and eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) are prized in the global pet trade, while the Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica), native to central Africa, is one of the most dangerous snakes on Earth, capable of causing shock, unconsciousness, or death in humans.

The investigation, dubbed Operation Middleman, was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonja Profit of the Middle District of Georgia and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Ryan Conners of the Environmental Crimes Section. The case underscores the growing nexus between wildlife trafficking and organized criminal networks exploiting legal loopholes and postal systems.”

RELATED: Ashtyn Rance Pleads Guilty to Snake Trafficking, Gun Charges