Florida man pleads guilty to smuggling more than 20 live water monitor lizards into the US from the Philippines by stuffing them into socks and concealing them inside electronics
- Florida man admitted one count of wildlife trafficking in federal court in Tampa Wednesday for smuggling live water monitor lizards from the Philippines
- Akbar Akram, 44, admitted to illegally importing over 20 lizards from the Philippines in 2016
- Akram acknowledged he knew he was violating the law when he stuffed the lizards into socks and put them inside electronics
- The equipment was falsely labeled and shipped to an associate in Massachusetts
- Some of the lizards were sold in Massachusetts, Colorado and Connecticut
A Florida man has pleaded guilty in connection with a trafficking scheme to smuggle live water monitor lizards into the US from the Philippines using socks and electronics.
Akbar Akram, 44, pleaded guilty in federal court in Tampa on Wednesday to one count of wildlife trafficking in a plan, which involved stuffing lizards into socks and concealing them inside electronics in order to avoid detection.
Akbar Akram, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of wildlife trafficking for smuggling live water monitor lizards from the Philippines to the US
According to a US Justice Department statement, Akram admitted to importing more than 20 live water monitor lizards from the Philippines in 2016, a violation of the Lacey Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Treaty.
He reportedly sought to elude customs authorities by putting the lizards inside socks that were were sealed with closed with tape. The socks were then placed inside electronics equipment.
The equipment, which was falsely labeled, was transported through commercial carriers to Akram’s associate in Massachusetts.
In the statement, Akram acknowledge he was aware that taking the lizards and shipping them violated both Philippine and US laws.
Some of the lizards that were received by Akram were sold to customers located in Colorado, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
A large species of monitor lizard, the water monitor is native to South and Southeastern Asia. The yellow-headed water monitor, the white-headed water monitor and the marbled water monitor are found in the Philippines.
Akbar is pictured on his Facebook page holding some of the water monitor lizards
Water monitor lizards are native to South and Southeastern Asia
The yellow-headed water monitor, the white-headed water monitor and the marbled water monitor are found in the Philippines.