Date: Thu, 15 Dec 94 14:33:35 GMT
From: liebermans at MAIL.FWS.GOV
To: Multiple recipients of list <cites-l at wcmc.org.uk>
Subject: Press release: Bird smuggling indictment
X-Comment: CITES discussion list

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 13, 1994 A.B. Wade (703) 358-1949
PA94-56 Larry Dean (612) 725-3520

EXOTIC PARROT EXPERT AND THREE OTHERS INDICTED
FOR SMUGGLING EXOTIC BIRDS

Exotic parrot expert Tony Silva, of Monroe Center, Illinois, his
mother and two other individuals were charged today with
conspiring to smuggle more than $1.3 million worth of exotic
birds into the United States. Today's charges follow a nearly
four-year investigation into the smuggling activities of Silva.
If convicted, Silva faces a combined maximum prison term of
45 years and a maximum fine of $2.5 million. His mother faces a
combined maximum prison term of 50 years and a total fine of up
to $2.75 million. The remaining co-defenders each face a
combined maximum prison term of five years and a fine up to
$250,000.
James Burns, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of
Illinois, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement
Chief John Doggett III, announced the return of a 15-count
indictment charging that the four conspired to smuggle protected
parrots, including at least 186 Hyacinth Macaws. Each Hyacinth
Macaw can draw between $7,000 and $15,000 through legitimate
retail sales.
According to today's charges, Silva, his mother Gila Daoud,
of Riverside, Illinois, and co-conspirators Gisela Caseres, from
Asuncion, Paraguay, and Hector Ugalde, from Miami Beach, Florida,
engaged in smuggling for profit and added to the depletion of
these rare and protected birds from their natural habitats.
Silva and his mother reaped huge profits from their sale of
Hyacinth Macaws and other bird species. As noted in the
indictment, for just two shipments of 79 Hyacinth Macaws, Silva
and Daoud paid co-defendant Gisela Caseres, also known as Ann
Koopman, approximately $47,000 as her share of the profits.
Silva, Daoud, Caseres and Ugalde are also charged with
smuggling various other species of highly protected parrots and
macaws into the country for commercial purposes. Some of those
species, such as Crimson-bellied Conures and Vinaceous Amazons,
are so rare that they are considered priceless.
Daoud is charged with assisting her son in his smuggling
operations. She is also charged with smuggling an elephant ivory
tusk and a parrot feathered headdress into the country. Those
items were discovered in her Monroe Center home while executing
search warrants.
Silva and Daoud's smuggling also violated U.S. Department of
Agriculture quarantine requirements, posing a threat to the
domestic poultry industry and other interests. The co-defendants
failed to declare the imported species to the proper authorities,
and took the animals from countries which don't allow export of
their natural wildlife. They also imported the species into the
United States without proper documentation from the Service.
From August 1989 through January 1992, while Silva was
curator of birds at Loro Parque, Tenerife, on Spain's Canary
Islands, Daoud followed her son's direction and managed smuggling
activities in the United States.
In the co-defendants' indictments, Caseres is alleged to
have supplied Silva and Daoud with most of the parrots smuggled
during this conspiracy, and Ugalde is alleged to have been
responsible for arranging the illegal off-loading of 50 Hyacinth
Macaws in Mexico, and smuggling them into the country.
Operation Renegade is the code name for this undercover
international probe, which so far has led to convictions of 30
people for taking part in parrot smuggling and related wildlife
law violations.
On November 29, a one-count indictment charged Silva with
illegally selling two Queen of Bavaria Conures. This indictment
is incorporated as count two of today's charges.
Today's indictment also charges Silva and others with
violating the provisions of the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species (CITES), an international treaty intended
to protect various species of wildlife from extinction. Other
charges include violations of United States wildlife protection
statutes, including the Endangered Species Act and Lacey Act, as
well as wildlife protection laws of several foreign countries.
Despite the fact that none of the species listed in the
indictment are indigenous to this country, U.S. Attorney Burns
said, "The United States takes its responsibilities under the
Convention (CITES) very seriously. This indictment reflects the
government's continued commitment to safeguarding and protecting
our global community's natural resources against those who would
illegally take those riches to increase their personal wealth."
Counts 3 through 10, 14 and 15 of the indictment allege
specific acts by Silva and Daoud, including their facilitating
the transportation of, concealing, and possessing highly
protected parrots knowing those birds had been smuggled into the
country.
Silva is a reputed parrot expert and internationally known
authority on the plight of these particular species of parrots.
He has written several books, including "A Monograph of
Endangered Parrots", and "A Monograph of Macaws and Conures". He
has also written hundreds of articles concerning exotic parrots.
Hyacinth Macaws only occur naturally in Bolivia, Brazil and
Paraguay. It is believed that there are only 2,000 to 5,000 of
the species remaining in the wild. Reports indicate that as many
as 90 percent of smuggled parrots perish from their point of
capture to final destination.
--FWS--