Markham Fish Store Owner Charged

[craigdritchie]

From today's Toronto Star:

 

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1219013--markham-fish-store-owner-faces-charges-in-u-s-for-smuggling-illegal-species-of-fish

 

 

Markham fish store owner faces charges in U.S. for smuggling illegal species of fish

 

 

The blue Honda CRV pulled into the Fort Erie motel parking lot just before 1:30 p.m. in late March 2011 with a delivery from Markham fish store Lucky Aquarium: a white plastic bag with two Asian arowana, or “dragon fish,” an endangered and protected species that can sell on the black market in the U.S. for thousands of dollars.

 

The buyer, Randy Cottrell, an undercover agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, handed over $1,590 in cash to the deliveryman. Then, he claimed in a sworn statement recently filed in a western New York court, he placed the bag of fish in the bottom of his duffle bag and the two parted ways.

 

About a month ago, after a years-long investigation into the smuggling of endangered and illegal fish from the GTA into the United States, Lucky Aquarium owner Jim Ip, 49, was arrested for allegedly organizing the motel pickup and a string of other meetings that saw invasive and endangered species knowingly smuggled across the border.

 

Ip, described online as a “fish fanatic” who lives in Scarborough, has been charged in western New York with two felony counts and a misdemeanour count after he allegedly sold invasive snakehead, Asian arowana, and axolotl — a protected and endangered amphibian — knowing they would be illegally transported to New York.

 

The fish store owner also faces a provincial charge in Newmarket, Ont., which his lawyer Darren Sederoff said is related to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigation into the transfer of giant snakehead fish.

 

In his sworn statement, Cottrell said over the course of several months, beginning in June 2010, he visited Ip’s store and communicated via email and phone to arrange purchasing invasive, endangered and protected species.

 

In July 2011, Ip allegedly shipped a container with 26 giant snakehead fish to Amherst, N.Y. The package was intercepted at a border crossing in Buffalo, where Cottrell said he confiscated the fish — a notoriously violent predator, illegal to sell or possess in both Ontario and New York state.

 

Reached at Lucky Aquarium Thursday afternoon, Ip refused to comment on the allegations, but Sederoff said his client planned to plead not guilty to the charges.

 

“A lot of the allegations levelled against him are completed exaggerated,” Sederoff said. “He’s disappointed that the charges were levelled against him. We’re going to vigorously defend this.”

 

Sederoff said Ip could be extradited to the U.S. to face the charges, but added that the case is in its preliminary stages.

 

If convicted, Ip could face up to four years in prison for selling the snakehead and arowana, and an addition year in prison and $5,000 fine for selling the axolotl.

 

He is scheduled to appear in a Newmarket court in August.

[RangerGuy]

Hope he gets thrown behind bars for the full term and then deported when his term is up!!!!

[Broker]

People like this are the ones ruining the waters around here!

[Roy]

I believe the maximum fine in Ontario is that they confiscate your fishing license.

[Pikeslayer]

I believe the maximum fine in Ontario is that they confiscate your fishing license.

 

Hopefully he gets 'tried' and convicted in the US. He will lose much more than his license .

[Fisherman]

Better yet, throw him in a tank full of hungry snakeheads.

[Lunkerhunter]

is this guys store still open? this disgusts me....

[Lunkerhunter]

his account has been suspended for his webpage...

 

http://www.luckyaquarium.com/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi

[Dozer]

That store always had some nice exotics, once I asked them if they get snakeheads, and was told " they sometimes come accidentally"

[Sinker]

He probably already has another shipment on its way. No doubt he will get a slap on the wrist, pay the fines, and be right back at it asap.

 

 

S.

[misfish]

The fine,is no where near what they make. Like busting drug dealers. No problem,we just made

$100.000.000.

 

 

IT NEVER WILL END.

[John Bacon]

 

"A lot of the allegations levelled against him are completed exaggerated," Sederoff said. "He's disappointed that the charges were levelled against him. We're going to vigorously defend this."

 

 

 

That is an interesting choice of words. How does one exaggerate the allegations? Does this mean that the snakeheads were merely large rather than giant?

[Dave Bailey]

That is an interesting choice of words. How does one exaggerate the allegations? Does this mean that the snakeheads were merely large rather than giant?

 

[craigdritchie]

What do you expect from a lawyer?

 

"Hi, I'm Lionel Hutz, attorney at law"

 

[ah_long]

snakeheads are a big nono..

 

but I never really understand the the US prohibiting Asian Arowana.. They already allow Silver Aro but they don't allow captive bred Asian Aro