Illegal Ivory Trading on Ebay Lands An Englishman in Jail
A man who traded in ivory from endangered species on eBay was sentenced to 10 months in prison today 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.
Noonan’s home was raided by HMRC officers who found various items, which were examined by experts at the Natural History Museum. These were confirmed as elephants’ tusks and whales’ teeth – some of which had been used to make corkscrews or carved with decorative images. In an attempt to continue trading ivory on eBay, Noonan had illegally obtained a certificate of exemption, then falsely altered and used it to pretend that specimens had an exemption certificate.
Peter Millroy, Assistant Director of HM Revenue & Customs said:
“This was a concerted effort to break a law which is designed to preserve species at risk of extinction. The sentence handed down today shows that anyone tempted to trade in protected creatures and plants should think again.”
Topics: artefacts, billiard ball, corkscrews, Ebay, Elephant tusks, England, exemption, HMRC, illegal trading, ivory, jail, prision, Whales' teeth
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