CONWAY, Ark. — Conway resident, 27-year-old Jackson Roe, was sentenced to three years probation and 150 hours of community service for importing and possessing illegally-taken wildlife.
In August of 2015, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service received an anonymous tip concerning the illegal activity of a reptile hobbyist who sold and transported various reptiles in and out of the country.
Through undercover conversations with the anonymous individual, who was located in China, agents learned that he was shipping rare and endangered animals to an individual named Jackson Roe.
A package addressed to Roe intercepted by wildlife inspectors revealed two live Chinese giant salamanders— an endangered species.
The animals were contained in plastic jars with wet moss. There were no air holes in the box or any documentation in the package.
Roe admitted to investigators that he has illegally purchased several live reptiles and amphibians from a Chinese dealer he met on Facebook— each salamander cost him $450.
He stated that he knew the salamanders were a protected species and expected to become extinct within the next ten years.
In total, Roe purchased and received seven packages from Hong Kong.
These included six Chinese giant salamanders, a Vietnamese leaf turtle, an Indian roofed turtle, and a Chinese big-headed turtle.
Additionally, Roe also informed agents that he owned a Nile crocodile, a Morelet’s crocodile, and an American alligator as well.
All of the animals were seized later that day by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.