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Animal ATTRACTION |
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October 2009
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A man who traded in ivory from endangered species on eBay was sentenced to 10 months in prison at Luton Crown Court following an international investigation by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). Elephants' tusks and whales' teeth had been carved into billiard balls or used to make corkscrews before being sold on the commercial website.
Nicholas Noonan, 46, of Bedfordshire, pleaded guilty on 5 October 2009 to charges relating to illegal trading in African elephant tusks and sperm whale teeth as well as ivory artefacts. The trade of these items is restricted under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The investigation was launched in 2006 when covert agents from the US Fish and Wildlife Service received an unsolicited email, via eBay, asking them to look at a number of tusks that were listed for sale by Noonan. Over the following months, Noonan traded various tusks, teeth and artefacts with the undercover agents; the evidence was then passed on to HMRC officers. Read the entire press release. Sources: HM Revenue & Customs and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ivory item pictured were among those seized by British officers during the joint Service/U.K. investigation. Credit: HM Revenue & Customs |
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