A Tijuana man who smuggled more than 300 pounds of protected sea cucumbers into the United States was sentenced Monday to six months in custody by a federal judge in San Diego.
John Jaimes Torres, 52, drove into the United States at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry last year with 101 undeclared packages of sea cucumbers concealed in the bed of his pickup truck, according to court documents.
The cucumbers, which are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species , require a certificate of origin and import/export licenses from CITES and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for lawful importation, none of which Torres possessed. The value of the cucumbers exceeded $60,000, prosecutors said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said evidence from four cellphones in Torres’ possession showed he also previously smuggled food, alcohol, medication, cigarettes and additional sea cucumbers across the border.
Torres, who was ordered to surrender to authorities by Feb. 12 to begin his sentence, was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to the Mexican government as compensation for the loss of its natural resources.
— City News Service
