FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ENR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1994 (202) 616-2765 TDD (202) 514-1888 FLORIDA MAN SENTENCED IN EGG SMUGGLING CASE WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A Florida man has been sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment for smuggling Australian cockatoo eggs into the United States, the Department of Justice announced today. The eggs, whose importation is prohibited under U.S. law, were worth $603,000 after hatching into birds. Ronald Martinolich, 27, of Cocoa, Florida, was sentenced Tuesday by Judge Anne C. Conway of U.S. District Court in Tampa. He had pleaded guilty. Assistant Attorney General Lois Schiffer, in charge of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, said, "This case demonstrates once again our commitment to the aggressive prosecution of wildlife crime. Unlawful wildlife trafficking is a multimillion dollar business in this country and poses a serious environmental threat. This case illustrates the severe penalties courts will impose for such violations." During 1990, Martinolich worked as an egg smuggler, or "mule," for a group of individuals charged in a California case with smuggling hundreds of cockatoo eggs into the United States over eight years. The smugglers hid the eggs in vests worn beneath outer clothing. When reared, the birds commanded prices from $1,500 to $12,500 per bird. Cockatoos are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora. Australian law also prohibits their exportation. The clandestine importation of the eggs also violates several U.S. statutes, including the Lacey Act and Endangered Species Act. The case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and prosecuted by ENR and the U.S. Attorney's office in Tampa. ##### 94-592