Narwhal Smuggler - A 61-year-old man has been sentenced to two years and nine months in federal prison after being found guilty of illegally trafficking the tusks of Narwhal, an Arctic whale protected by the U.S. and Canada.
On Monday, a U.S. District Court found Andrew Zarauskas of Union, New Jersey guilty of conspiracy, money laundering and smuggling in connection with a ring that covered from Tennessee to Canada uncovered last February.
The Narwhal smuggler was arrested following a long investigation that spanned all the way from Alaska to Brunswick, Canada. Zarauskas and Jay Conrad, of Lakeland, Tennessee were arrested for illegally smuggling the spear-like tusks of Narwhal popularly called the "unicorn of the ocean."
"You should know, Mr Zarauskas, that the narwhal are worth more to the rest of us alive that they are to you dead," US District Judge John Woodcock said shortly before pronouncing the sentence.
Reports indicate that Zarauskas was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit six Narwhal tusks, whose length range from 351/2 inches to 95 inches. The Narwhal smuggler was also ordered to pay $ 7,500 fine.
Mr. Zarauskas is set to begin serving his sentence on April 10 due to his poor health and in order to afford enough time to pay his fine.
Narwhal, the medium-sized whale native to the Arctic waters, is listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. The whale is also protected under the international Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
"The Justice Department is committed to the fight to save the world's protected wildlife species, many of which are under sustained attack by poachers and wildlife traffickers," Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division John C. Cruden said.
However, the attorney of the Narwhal smuggler has revealed plans of appealing his client's sentence and conviction.
"Mr Zarauskas intends to appeal both his sentence and conviction," Defense attorney Stephen Smith said. "He maintain his innocence. As the trial evidence showed, he was quite valuable to the government in helping them convict several individuals of federal wildlife violations."
