PHOENIX — A Phoenix man will serve prison time after he smuggled exotic animals into the United States with the intent of selling them.
The U.S. Attorney's Office of Arizona announced that 23-year-old Raymond Anthony Rabago Montoya will serve a year and a day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Rabago Montoya, along with his mother who has already been sentenced, coordinated the illegal importation of the animals from Mexico.
The animals included tigers, panthers, monkeys, and exotic parents.
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The investigation started in 2022 when someone reported to U.S. Fish and Wildlife that the parrots they purchased from the defendant had allegedly been illegally imported.
After executing a search warrant in January of 2023, officials found a tiger cub, an alligator, 12 snapping turtles, six tortoises, and boxes of other reptiles.
After finding advertisements for the sale of spider monkeys on Facebook, authorities conducted two undercover purchases of the monkeys for $6,000 each, one in April and the other in May of 2023.
Police again encountered Rabago Montoya in June and August of 2023, where authorities found dozens of endangered parrots in his vehicle at the time. Many of those birds were dead.
The 23-year-old was charged in September and arrested the next day.
“Wildlife trafficking is illegal and immoral, as countless animals that are taken from the wild are smuggled across borders in inhumane conditions,” said Edward Grace, Assistant Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “In the case of spider monkeys, many trafficked animals perish due to inadequate care, while those that survive face a life of captivity. We hope this case emphasizes that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and our partners will continue to ensure that those engaged in wildlife trafficking are brought to justice.”
