Sunseeker Pleads Guilty to Lacey Act Violations Over Burmese Teak on Luxury Yachts

Sunseeker International Limited and its U.S. sales arm pleaded guilty this week to two violations of the Lacey Act for importing multimillion-dollar yachts containing Burmese teak obtained in violation of Myanmar law, the Justice Department announced on May 13, 2026.

The British yacht builder and its American subsidiary manufacture luxury performance motor yachts and superyachts. Under the plea agreement the companies will pay a criminal fine of $200,000. The settlement also requires Sunseeker to implement a compliance plan, perform community service, and submit to audits ensuring that all wood products used on vessels imported into the United States comply with the Lacey Act’s prohibitions on illegally sourced plant material.

The Lacey Act makes it unlawful to import, export, sell, acquire or purchase fish, wildlife or plants that were taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of U.S. or foreign law. Before the plea, Sunseeker faced potential exclusion from the U.S. market for vessels containing restricted Burmese teak.

The new compliance plan takes effect immediately and will govern every future import; the $200,000 fine is due within 30 days of sentencing.

The settlement triggers several operational requirements. Sunseeker must now maintain detailed chain-of-custody records for every shipment of teak and other restricted woods, a step not previously mandated for the company’s U.S. imports. Customs and Border Protection can demand these records on any future entry.

The Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section will monitor compliance for at least three years. Any violation of the plan exposes Sunseeker to additional criminal prosecution or civil forfeiture of vessels.

This marks the latest Lacey Act enforcement action against marine-industry firms that source high-value tropical hardwoods. The statute, originally passed in 1900 and significantly expanded in 2008 to cover plant products, has been used in recent years to prosecute importers of illegal rosewood, mahogany and teak in both the furniture and yacht-building sectors.

The guilty plea resolves the government’s allegations without a trial and closes one front in broader federal efforts to disrupt illegal logging supply chains originating in Southeast Asia.