Federal Authorities Charge Louisiana Man With Turtle Poaching Conspiracy

Authorities have detained a man accused of participating in a turtle poaching scheme tied to the Asian pet trade, officials said Thursday. A federal judge ordered Albert Bazaar, formerly of Angie, Louisiana, held this week after his arrest on conspiracy and Lacey Act charges, according to a Department of Justice announcement.

Bazaar allegedly pulled more than 1,700 loggerhead musk turtles, 100 stripe-neck musk turtles and 15 striped mud turtles from Florida waterways from January 2022 to December 2023, according to an indictment. A status conference in Phoenix, Arizona, is set for May 14.

Federal prosecutors alleged Bazaar sold the wild-caught reptiles to an exporter in San Francisco across eight transactions. The exporter fronted cash for the poaching trips and provided a boat and van. The exporter then shipped the animals to Taiwan.

Bazaar filed paperwork with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service falsely claiming the turtles were bred legally in Alabama and Georgia, according to the indictment. The alleged haul’s value on the Asian pet market was over $550,000.

The three species fall under protection of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora treaty, which the United States and 184 other nations have signed. The treaty restricts selling wildlife internationally without a permit.

Each conspiracy and Lacey Act count carries up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if the accused is found guilty. Federal investigators have pursued similar cases in recent years. In December, another individual drew a two-year sentence after pleading guilty to shipping roughly 850 turtles worth around $1.4 million to Hong Kong in packages disguised as plastic toys.

Export papers reviewed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicated Louisiana has long served as a hub for the trade. Sixteen million live turtles passed through New Orleans for commercial export between 2012 and 2016.