https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/05...he-most-expensive-aquarium-fish-in-the-world/
A Garden Grove man admitted Wednesday to breaking federal law by helping to smuggle Asian arowana fish, identified as the most expensive aquarium fish in the world, into the United States from Indonesia.
Shawn Naolu Lee, during a hearing at a federal courthouse in Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to breaking the Endangered Species Act by importing a species of fish facing extinction.
In his plea agreement, Lee admitted to working with co-defendant Mickey Tanadi, who was located in Indonesia, to transport the fish, despite warnings from Tanadi that the Asian arowana fish are illegal in the United States and would have to be smuggled into the country.
Lee wired $2,550 to Tanadi for eight Asian arowana fish, according to the plea deal. Authorities allege that Tanadi placed the fish in bags of water hidden in porcelain pots to avoid detection during shipping.
A U.S. Customs and Enforcement Protection officer flagged the package containing the pots after noticing that it was wet, according to court filings. The officer opened the package and found the fish, then notified the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Under the supervision of a Fish and Wildlife agent, the package was delivered to Lee’s home, where he signed for it, according to the plea deal. Law enforcement stopped Lee minutes later as he drove away from the home, a bag holding the eight Asian Arowana fish in his vehicle.
It isn’t clear how much Lee planned to sell the fish for. But federal prosecutors in court filings estimate that the fish were worth about $1,000 to $2,000 each, leading them to estimate that the shipment was worth more than $6,500.
Lee is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on July 23
A Garden Grove man admitted Wednesday to breaking federal law by helping to smuggle Asian arowana fish, identified as the most expensive aquarium fish in the world, into the United States from Indonesia.
Shawn Naolu Lee, during a hearing at a federal courthouse in Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to breaking the Endangered Species Act by importing a species of fish facing extinction.
In his plea agreement, Lee admitted to working with co-defendant Mickey Tanadi, who was located in Indonesia, to transport the fish, despite warnings from Tanadi that the Asian arowana fish are illegal in the United States and would have to be smuggled into the country.
Lee wired $2,550 to Tanadi for eight Asian arowana fish, according to the plea deal. Authorities allege that Tanadi placed the fish in bags of water hidden in porcelain pots to avoid detection during shipping.
A U.S. Customs and Enforcement Protection officer flagged the package containing the pots after noticing that it was wet, according to court filings. The officer opened the package and found the fish, then notified the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Under the supervision of a Fish and Wildlife agent, the package was delivered to Lee’s home, where he signed for it, according to the plea deal. Law enforcement stopped Lee minutes later as he drove away from the home, a bag holding the eight Asian Arowana fish in his vehicle.
It isn’t clear how much Lee planned to sell the fish for. But federal prosecutors in court filings estimate that the fish were worth about $1,000 to $2,000 each, leading them to estimate that the shipment was worth more than $6,500.
Lee is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on July 23