Illegal Reptile Trade Rattles New York's Ecosystem. Twenty-three people are charged in what has become the largest illegal wildlife operation in New York State history. Read full article here - includes video.

State puts bite on cold-blooded operation. It took months for undercover state conservation police officers Daniel Sullivan and Richard Thomas to be trusted within the tight-knit world of illegal "herping" — shorthand for poaching of reptiles and amphibians. Read full article here.

Investigation shines light on illegal N.Y. reptile trade. "What they found was alarming," state environmental commissioner Pete Grannis said Thursday, referring to investigators who worked undercover for two years. Read full article here - includes video.

Reptile Smugglers Are Arrested, Authorities Say. The smugglers moved their goods across borders using secret compartments, a Maryland meat processing plant and the help of a corrupt Louisiana turtle farm. Their lucrative product: rattlesnakes, snapping turtles and salamanders.
Read full article here.

23 arrests in probe of reptile trade. A two-year undercover probe by New York environmental investigators of the murky, thriving trade in turtles and snakes has culminated in the arrest of 23 people. Read full article here.

Black Market Animal Trade Busted. An extensive undercover investigation by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation into the poaching, smuggling and illegal sale of protected reptiles and amphibians has led to charges against 18 individuals for 14 felonies, 11 misdemeanors and dozens of violations. Read the official DEC article here.

Pets or meat: Investigators allege reptile smuggling. State officials today announced a two-year undercover investigation of illegal trade in snakes, turtles and other wildlife that stretched across eight states and as far as Germany and China. Read full article here.

Tom Hudak of Rochester, N.Y., handles a black phase timber rattlesnake during a news conference at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation... Read full article here.
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Undercover Pinch Puts Bite On Illegal Rattlesnake Sales. DEC agents who went undercover in the probe found a surprisingly active black market for poisonous snakes, various species of turtles and other protected species. Read full article here.

Fear The Turtle. A federal raid in Maryland shows how common snapping turtles can have an uncommon bite. Read full article here.