Owen Munro, Abbotsford News
A man who attempted to smuggle infant lizards in the pocket of his sweatshirt through the Canada-U.S. border has been fined $6,000.
Gregory Anderson was trying to take six uromastyx ornate lizards into Canada on Oct. 27, 2015, through the Abbotsford-Huntingdon port of entry. When he was sent to secondary inspection, border services officers discovered the reptiles and subsequently charged Anderson under the Customs Act.
The lizards are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements and one count of importing an animal without a permit.
$5,000 of the total penalty will be given to the Environmental Damages Fund.
They are native to the Middle East and can be found in rocky regions in countries like Egypt and Israel.
Forty-two animal seizures have been made by CBSA officers between 2011 and 2016.