A California man who smuggled at least 1,700 animals into the U.S. over the course of six years has been sentenced to more than five years in prison. Jose Manuel Perez was caught in 2022 and allegedly had 60 reptiles hidden underneath his clothes.
Perez, 34, pleaded guilty to two counts of smuggling goods into the United States and one count of wildlife trafficking according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Perez was sentenced to 65 months in prison for his offence on May 28.
