Authorites have detained a man accused of participating in a turtle poaching scheme tied to the Asian pet trade, officials said Thursday.
A federal judge ordered Albert Bazaar, formerly of Angie, Louisiana, held this week after his arrest on conspiracy and Lacey Act charges, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) announcement. Bazaar allegedly pulled more than 1,700 loggerhead musk turtles, 100 stripe-neck musk turtles and 15 striped mud turtles from their Florida waterways from January 2022 to December 2023, according to an indictment. A status conference in Phoenix, Arizona, is set for May 14. (RELATED: Chinese Man Allegedly Caught In Creepy-Crawly Smuggling Attempt: REPORT)
Federal prosecutors alleged Bazaar sold the wild-caught reptiles to an exporter in San Francisco, California across eight transactions with the buyer fronting cash for poaching trips and bankrolling a boat and van. The exporter then allegedly shipped the animals to Taiwan. Bazaar filed paperwork with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) falsely claiming the turtles were bred legally in Alabama and Georgia, according to the indictment. The alleged haul’s value on the Asian pet market was over $550,000.
Louisiana Man Detained on Turtle Trafficking Chargeshttps://t.co/KYkIAWw6o2
— DOJ Environment and Natural Resources Division (@DOJEnvironment) May 7, 2026
The three species fall under protection of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) treaty, which 184 other nations have signed alongside the United States, according to the DOJ. The treaty restricts selling wildlife internationally while not having a permit. Each conspiracy and Lacey Act count carries up to five years behind bars and a $250,000 fine if the accused is found guilty.
Federal investigators have been after similar cases. In December, Wei Qiang Lin drew a two-year sentence after pleading guilty to shipping roughly 850 turtles worth around $1.4 million to Hong Kong in packages disguised as plastic toys.
Export papers reviewed by the FWS indicated Louisiana has long served as a hub for the trade, with 16 million live turtles passing through New Orleans for commercial export between 2012 and 2016, according to National Geographic.