U.S. Grand Jury in Denver Indicts Two for Smuggling Leopard Hides into the U.S.

"On August 5, 2008, a U.S. grand jury in Denver returned an indictment charging two individuals with smuggling the hides and a skull of two leopards into the United States in violation of the Convention on International Trade in Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), an international treaty regulating international shipments of listed species. CITES applies to the U.S. and 172 other member countries. The indictment alleges that the leopards allegedly were hunted and killed in South Africa and then smuggled into Zimbabwe to obtain false CITES permits. The indictment charges Wayne D. Breitag of Aberdeen, South Dakota, and Jerry L. Mason of Frankfort, South Dakota with violations of the Lacey Act, a federal wildlife statute. Mason is charged with smuggling a hide and skull of a leopard while it charges Breitag with smuggling a hide...[more]"