A New Jersey man on Friday was arrested for illegally trafficking in narwhal tusks and associated money laundering crimes, the Justice Department said.
On Nov. 14, a federal grand jury sitting in Bangor, Maine, returned an indictment that was partially unsealed Friday upon the arrest of Andrew L. Zarauskas of Union, N.J. The indictment also names Jay G. Conrad of Lakeland, Tenn., who was summoned to appear in the District of Maine on Jan. 3.
The indictment charges Conrad and Zarauskas with conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, smuggling and money laundering violations for buying narwhal tusks (whale tusk) knowing the tusks had been illegally imported into the United States, as well as selling or attempting to sell them after their illegal importation.
The indictment alleges that from 2007 to 2010, the two men knowingly violated federal law when they bought and imported the tusks. Narwhals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). It is illegal to import parts of marine mammals into the United States without the requisite permits/certificates, and without declaring the merchandise at the time of import to U.S. Customs and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Narwhal tusks are commonly collected for display purposes and can fetch large sums of money.
The indictment further alleges that Conrad and Zarauskas conspired with persons located in Canada to illegally import the protected tusks for re-sale in the United States.
If convicted of these charges, the men face up to 20 years in prison on each of the most serious charges, as well as fines up to $250,000, the Justice Department said.
NJ man arrested for illegal tusk imports
