Sea Turtle Egg Smugglers Indicted

Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie K. Pierson (619) 546-7976

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – December 8, 2015

SAN DIEGO – Olga and Jose Jimenez of Hemet were arrested in connection with the smuggling of 911 sea turtle eggs into the United States from Mexico and charged in a four-count indictment.

            According to the indictment, on November 23, 2014, in Nayarit, Mexico, defendant Olga Jimenez boarded a bus destined for Tijuana with a large cooler containing approximately nine small plastic bags filled with a total of approximately 911 sea turtle eggs, while defendant Jose Luis Jimenez drove from Hemet, California, to the Mexican border and crossed into Mexico as a pedestrian with two small coolers. 

The indictment alleges that at the bus station in Tijuana, the defendants moved the sea turtle eggs from the large cooler to the two small coolers, concealing them under layers of ice, fish and shrimp. The defendants allegedly gave the coolers to the owner of a pickup truck to bring to the United States, telling the driver the coolers contained only fish and shrimp.  According to the indictment, the defendants then crossed back into the United States through the pedestrian lanes, after which Olga Jimenez placed a call to one of the occupants of the pickup truck in order to determine whether the sea turtle eggs had successfully entered the United States.  The indictment seeks criminal forfeiture of the eggs.

            The indictment alleges that the eggs belonged to endangered Olive ridley and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles.  Both Olive ridley and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were initially identified as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1978 and 1973. In 1981, Olive ridley and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were placed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (“CITES”).  Both Mexico and the United States are signatories to CITES.  It is a violation of law in both countries to trade in Olive ridley and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles or any part of those sea turtles, including their eggs, without permission from the respective governments.

            According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, both Olive ridley and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles display one of the most unique synchronized nesting habits in the natural world.  Large groups of turtles gather off shore of nesting beaches and then come ashore all at once to nest in what is known as an arribada.  Females nest once or twice a year, laying clutches of approximately 100 eggs and burying them in the sand on the beach.  The indictment alleges that during the spectacle of the arribada, the nesting sites are vulnerable to poachers, who collect the eggs for sale for human consumption. The eggs are considered a delicacy in Asia, where they are reputed to have aphrodisiac effects.

            Olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) inhabit a broad range extending in the South Atlantic Ocean from West Africa to South America and in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Southern California to Northern Chile.  Adults weigh approximately 100 pounds and have olive/grayish-green heart-shaped shells measuring 22‑31 inches in diameter.                               

     Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) are the smallest marine turtle in the world.  Their top shell is grayish green and nearly circular, with a pale yellowish bottom shell.  Adults weigh approximately 100 pounds and have shells measuring approximately 24-28 inches in diameter.  Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are found in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean from the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico to New England.

            Jose Jimenez was ordered to appear before the Hon. Janis L. Sammartino on January 14, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. for a hearing on all motions in the case.  Olga Jimenez, who was arrested in the District of Arizona, was ordered to appear in federal court in San Diego on December 16, 2015, at 9:00 a.m. before the duty magistrate.

            “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, along with our agency partners, is committed to investigating people who exploit endangered and protected species to line their own pockets,” said Jill Birchell, Special Agent in Charge of the agency’s California/Nevada office.

“Smuggling wildlife of any kind, especially endangered species, is something we take seriously,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “We will not tolerate violation of federal and international laws regarding the illegal trade of endangered species, and we will continue to take a hard stance in combating wildlife trafficking.”

*The charges and allegations contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Criminal Case No. 15cr2867-JLS

DEFENDANTS                               

Olga Jimenez                                                                           Age: 52                      

Hemet, California

Jose Jimenez                                                                            Age: 64

Hemet, California

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371

Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine

Smuggling- Title 18, U.S.C., Section 545

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine

Importation Contrary to Law- Title 18, U.S.C., Section 545

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine

Unlawful Trafficking in Wildlife-Title 16, U.S.C. Sections 3372 and 3373

Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine

Criminal Forfeiture- Title 16, U.S.C., Section 3374

AGENCIES

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement;

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Law Enforcement