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.
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