January 11, 2009

Minnesota – On January 13, 2009, Pa Lor and Tia Yang, both of Minnesota, were sentenced for conspiracy to import wildlife into the United States. U.S. District Court Judge Joan Ericksen sentenced both women to two years of probation. In addition, Yang was sentenced to five months home confinement, 40 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $9,000 fine. As part of Lor's sentence, she also agreed to work with federal officials to develop educational materials designed specifically for the Hmong community.

The case against the two women began on October 23, 2005, when Lor returned from Laos and was found attempting to smuggle more than 1,300 pieces of wildlife into the country through the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. This discovery was the beginning of a more than three year, multi-agency investigation into Lor and Yang's illegal wildlife smuggling operation. The investigation was a cooperative effort between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In all, 1,388 parts and piece of wildlife were confiscated from Pa Lor's luggage. Parts of serow, douc langur, Asian elephant, slow loris, clouded leopard and many other internationally protected species were found. It was also determined that it appeared Lor's intent was to bring these items into the U.S. and then sell them at her place of business.

As part of the investigation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Sheila O'Connor arranged for two undercover operations at Lor's place of business. During both undercover operations, agents were sold parts of endangered species. During one of these undercover buys, Lor actually explained how she was able to illegally bring these items into the country. In addition, she told the agent because these items were illegal to possess, he needed to be careful how he transported the items to ensure he wasn't caught with them.

"Thanks to the great work of our undercover agents, we added a few missing pieces to the puzzle," said O'Connor. "We knew this wasn't a misunderstanding, this wasn't because of any communication barriers or lack of knowledge. Pa Lor knew what she was doing was illegal and she intentionally tried to hide her illegal activities. This was a case of pure profiteering at the expense of hundreds of endangered species. Pa Lor did this for pure profit."

In addition to making a profit, another reason for bringing these endangered species into the U.S. is because of their use as traditional medicines. Many Asian cultures -- as well as European and other cultures -- have been using plants and animals to heal people for generations. Many of the items are mixed into teas or made into powders or lotions and used for a wide variety of ailments. Some items are used as a talisman to bring the strength or the spirit of the animal to the wearer.

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is not making any judgment on people's beliefs," commented O'Connor. "I sometimes wear a crucifix around my neck because of what I believe. I know people who carry a rabbit foot for luck. I usually make myself of bowl of chicken soup when I get a cold. I can't call another person's beliefs any stranger than mine."

While it is nearly impossible to get a firm number on the amount of illegal wildlife trafficking occurring on a world-wide scale, it is estimated to measure in the billions of dollars each year, second only to the illegal drug trade. This illegal trade is the primary threat to many endangered species. Tigers, elephants, rhinos, sea turtles, macaws and a wide variety of other animals are just hanging onto existence. The greed associated with the illegal wildlife market could be enough to push any of these species, and many others, over the edge. According to Agent O'Connor, "One of the fastest ways to cause a species to go extinct is to commercialize it."

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota, represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney LeeAnn K. Bell prosecuted the case.