A Daly City man was arrested this week after getting caught up in a national multi-agency law enforcement operation aimed at busting illegal turtle traffickers.
Donald Do is accused of conspiracy and federal Lacey Act crimes against wild loggerhead musk turtles, according to U.S. Department of Justice officials.
The much-prized and adorable aquatic reptiles can be legally bought and sold in some states as long as they are bred in captivity.
Do and another defendant allegedly conspired to obtain and sell wild-caught turtles between December 2022 and May 2024, according to federal prosecutors.
After allegedly obtaining an export permit under false pretenses, Do allegedly bought musk turtles poached from the wild in Florida and elsewhere and tried to buy more.
“Do and the co-conspirator also allegedly tried to obtain over 200 turtles from Albert Bazaar, of Louisiana, who was detained last week in Phoenix on turtle trafficking charges,” prosecutors said in a news release Friday.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated Do as part of Operation Southern Hot Herps, a joint federal and state law enforcement operation aimed at corralling turtle poachers in the South and bringing them to justice.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were all part of the investigation, according to DOJ officials.
If convicted, Do faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the conspiracy and Lacey Act charges.
The Lacey Act forbids providing false information about wildlife involved in international or interstate commerce or selling or transporting wildlife taken in violation of state law.
