Albert Bazaar, Turtle Trafficking, Louisiana 2024

Turtle Trafficking Ring Cracks in Louisiana

A federal magistrate judge in Phoenix ordered Albert Bazaar, formerly of Angie, Louisiana, held in custody following his arrest on charges relating to trafficking turtles.

The court unsealed an indictment from San Francisco charging Bazaar with conspiracy and Lacey Act violations.

A status conference will be held on May 14 in Phoenix.

The indictment alleges that between January 2022 and December 2023, Bazaar poached and sold over 1,700 loggerhead musk turtles, 100 stripe-neck musk turtles, and 15 striped mud turtles from their native habitats in Florida.

Florida law protects fresh and marine turtle species from unregulated harvest.

The indictment charges Bazaar with aiding and abetting a co-conspirator who exported the turtles from San Francisco to Taiwan, falsely claiming they were captive-bred to obtain export permits.

The turtles are estimated to be worth more than $550,000 in the Asian pet trade.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson, U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California, and Assistant Director Doug Ault, USFWS Office of Law Enforcement, announced the arrest and charges.

Bazaar was investigated and charged as part of the USFWS Operation Southern Hot Herps, which was a joint federal and state law enforcement operation to detect and deter turtle poachers in the southeastern United States.

Defendant: Albert Bazaar.

Criminal Charges: Conspiracy and Lacey Act violations.

City and State: Phoenix, Arizona.

Date: April 30, 2024.

Sentence or Outcome: Held in custody pending status conference on May 14.

Dollar Amounts: $550,000.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/louisiana-man-detained-turtle-trafficking-charges