At a border crossing between the United States and Mexico, border officials said they found 60 reptiles in an Oxnard man's pockets in February. He claimed they were his pets.
Six months later, that man, Jose Manuel Perez, pleaded guilty to smuggling more than 1,700 wild animals into the U.S. over a six-year period, according to federal prosecutors. The 30-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of smuggling goods into the U.S. and one count of wildlife trafficking.
He faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each smuggling count and up to five years for wildlife trafficking, according to prosecutors.
