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On August 24, 2022, Jose Manuel Perez, also known as “Julio Rodriguez,” 30 years of age, pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges for illegally importing into the United States more than 1,700 wild animals, including 60 reptiles found hidden in his clothes earlier this year at the U.S.-Mexico border. From Oxnard in Ventura County, Perez pleaded guilty to two counts of smuggling goods into the U.S. and one count of wildlife trafficking.[1]
[1] U.S. Attorney in Central District of California, Oxnard Man Pleads Guilty to Wildlife Smuggling and Trafficking Charges for Illegally Importing More than 1,700 Animals into U.S., Press Release No. 22-164, Aug. 24, 2022.