A Louisiana man has been detained on federal trafficking charges after prosecutors accused him of conspiring and violating the Lacey Act through an alleged illegal wildlife trade operation worth more than $550,000.
Albert Bazaar has been accused of poaching and selling over 1,800 protected turtle species from Florida. But under its state law, freshwater and marine turtles are protected from unregulated harvesting. Bazaar has been charged with creating a false declaration to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) that the turtles were legally bred in Georgia and Alabama.
According to an indictment from San Francisco, between January 2022 and December 2023, Bazaar illegally collected and sold more than 1,700 loggerhead musk turtles, 100 stripe-neck turtles, and 15 striped mud turtles from their natural habitats in Florida. He sold them to a co-conspirator in San Francisco, who then exported them to Taiwan. The co-conspirator falsely labeled the turtles as captive-bred to obtain export permits.
SHELL GAME EXPOSED: Feds bust alleged turtle trafficking ring worth $550K
A federal judge in Phoenix has ordered Albert Bazaar held in custody after his arrest in a major wildlife trafficking case.
Prosecutors say Bazaar is charged in a San Francisco indictment with conspiracy…
— Scott Taylor (@ScottTaylorTV) May 7, 2026
Prosecutors accused Bazaar of violating the Lacey Act, a federal law aimed at combating illegal wildlife trafficking. According to USFWS, “the Lacey Act prohibits the importation, exportation, transportation, sale, receipt, acquisition, or purchase of any fish or wildlife or plant taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of any law, treaty, or regulation of the United States or any Indian tribal law, or foreign law.” The law also prohibits the false labeling of containers used to ship wildlife.
Moreover, the United States government has also signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which prohibits the international trade in wildlife and plants without a permit to support sustainable trade. Loggerhead musk turtles, striped mud turtles, and striped-neck musk turtles are protected under this treaty.
The turtles allegedly poached and sold by Bazaar, then exported to Taiwan by his co-conspirator, are estimated to be worth more than $550,000 in the Asian pet trade.
Operation "Southern Hot Herps" @USFWS
Justice Dept. arrests Louisiana man in Phoenix for illegal poaching of turtles — in Florida."Bazaar poached and sold over 1,700 loggerhead musk turtles, 100 stripe-neck musk turtles, and 15 striped mud turtles from their native habitats…
— Dara Kam (@TheDaraKam) May 7, 2026
The charges against Bazaar list eight transactions where he allegedly sold illegally poached turtles to his San Francisco co-conspirator and exporter. The exporter, in turn, allegedly paid for the defendant’s trips from Louisiana to Florida and sent him money to buy a van and a boat.
If found guilty of wrongdoing, Albert Bazaar will serve a maximum prison sentence of five years, in addition to a $250,000 fine on each of the conspiracy and Lacey Act charges, according to a press release from the Office of Public Affairs of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The investigation into Bazaar took place as part of a joint federal and state law enforcement operation called the USFWS Operation Southern Hot Herps. It is aimed at detecting and deterring turtle poachers in the southeast U.S.
Senior Trial Attorney Ryan Connors of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Chambers for the Northern District of California are the prosecutors on Bazaar’s case.
A status hearing is set to take place in Phoenix on May 14.
