Missed the last "Sunday, Funday" installment. I didn't want another to pass without my weekly, random, off-topic blog feature where I ramble in dear diary fashion ...
Last Sunday was more like "Sunday, Bloody Sunday". We had a company picnic at the home of On Target Range and Tactical Training Center Director of Operations Tom Dorsch on Saturday night after work. The food was amazing. His wife is Colombian and we had incredible carne asada tacos, chorizo quesadillas, guacamole, barbecued corn on the cob and other fare. However, I over served myself not with food, but with drink. I don't drink regularly or often but when I do I sure can put it away. I brought a gift bottle for each of my hosts, but I also brought my own bottle of my favorite tipple, Jameson Black Barrel Irish Whiskey. I went straight from work and was the first to arrive and wasted no time diving into my whiskey and cigars. I shared some of the bottle, but I made the major dent in it. When it was gone I pretended like I was in my 20s again and joined the younger crowd in tequila shots. Cuervo Gold was my drink when I was like 21, but that was 30 years ago. I paid the price last Sunday morning and throughout the day. I was hurting. It was ugly.
Today was a much milder day off. Between the new job and selling off many spiders I have let house cleaning fall behind a bit so I pottered around in the morning organizing some stuff. Then I went to Cabela's to meet Randy Martinez and deliver a wholesale spider order. Thanks to Randy I have another 36 less mouths to feed. We meet at Cabela's because it is roughly equidistant between our homes, but for me it gives me the chance to prowl one of my favorite stores. However, there's little for me to buy there these days. I buy all my ammunition at work at cost. Although I have bought one gun from Cabela's I no longer have that need either. I've just purchased one new rifle and one new pistol and they were both through "pro staff" deals direct from manufacturer's whose products I sell. Same thing with my new Benchmade knife. But Cabela's is a wonder land and I do like to wander and wonder.
My bonus dad Joel met me there to go out to lunch. He lives five minutes from Cabela's. My diet continues and I've dropped 35 pounds. I cheated on the diet a bit last night with a little after work sushi, which I thought I deserved as I worked 9-3, took a two hour break to run home for a few things and then worked 5-8. I was hoping lunch would just be a salad or something that wouldn't make me feel guilty. But somehow when driving past the local places Joel chose Claim Jumper, which is the last place in the world for a dieting person. We discovered that they had a huge Sunday brunch in progress so I think it's fair to say that I gained back a few pounds today. Back to starvation ...
I've been spending some time lately planning the ten day trip to Costa Rica that Joel and I are taking at the beginning of December. We've got flights and rental car booked and I finally booked three nights at a hotel in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Region. Through Instagram, I've met a guy who is into reptiles, spiders and other nature and leads day or night hikes in the area. I'm trying to pin down some private bookings with him. I also intend to first stay at the same base camp as our team did during our 2006 field trip, but they don't have online booking and the emails back and forth are going at Latin American pace. That means snail slow and more than a little confusing.
In other news, Mark Pennell is going to be back in the U.S. visiting the first week of October, which is rapidly approaching! Time is flying isn't it?!? September here we almost are ... Mark will be doing some tattooing again and I will be having another Arachnoparty at my house. I spoke with Chad a few nights ago and I expect he and probably David Lawrence will again make the trip. I know I can talk Apple into it and anyone within striking distance is also welcome. Just drop me a line at spidershoppe@icloud.com.
In closing, I want to stray from relaxing "funday" for a moment. In a recent blog I asked you all to BOYCOTT sellers who are breaking the law and shipping via the USPS. I named Mike Carlton at Inland Sea and Jamie's Tarantulas. Today when I popped into Arachnoboards for a moment I noticed a few others that I will also call out here now. Joe Rossi. I've never dealt with this asshat and haven't heard anything good. Rumor has it that he a brown boxer so it is no surprise that he would ship illegally via the USPS. But as I looked at his overpriced spider list (his ad said "chrysogaster", a species I am working with and that is what caught my eye and had me looking at this dbag's advert) I noticed his shipping info. So add JOE ROSSI to the scumbag list. Let's see if I can find a few more in ten seconds or so ... I mentioned this newbie "Arachno Den" aka eldondominicano in a recent blog. He offers 2-3 day USPS priority shipping. ADD NEWBIE ARACHNO DEN to the scumbag list. I could go on and on if I wanted to look at the hobbyists who don't invent instant businesses. For example GunniesSpiders is offering el cheapo USPS shipping. Scumbag. It would be a lifetime project to add all the hobbyist sellers to the BOYCOTT LIST. So let's just start with those who are "dealers", "pseudo dealers" or "wannabe dealers". BOYCOTT INLAND SEA, JAMIE'S TARANTULAS, JOE ROSSI and the latest newbie wannabe ARACHNO DEN. Don't even get me going on the fact that Vixvy is still posting at will on Arachnoboards. I covered that a long time ago and cut AB and the Scher's some slack after discussing the issue with them. But I still would BOYCOTT and BAN this guy and every other person that is obviously promoting BROWN BOXING by Americans. I'm not cutting any slack anymore.
(BTW, for those who have never seen the law Postal code Publication 52 (Hazardous, Restricted and Perishable Items) 525.4 states: "All poisonous insects and all spiders, except scorpions under limited circumstances (see 526.5), are nonmailable. Other nonpoisonous and non-disease-conveying insects are permitted as stated in DMM 601.9.3.9 and in Exhibit 526.6." This is a FEDERAL AGENCY. MAILING SPIDERS IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW.)
Sorry, for the ranty interruption. It was just on my mind as my Sunday day off comes to a close. It's actually hard to get me pissed off and ranty these days as I'm loving my job, feeling healthier and happier, getting completely stoked about Mark's upcoming visit and looking ahead to a return to Costa Rica in three months. Life is good. My therapy is shooting and I do it daily. I'm enjoying my much smaller collection of spiders. It's off to laundry and spider feeding and soon bedtime. Perchance to dream, MJ
Showing posts with label brown boxing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brown boxing. Show all posts
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Thursday, June 18, 2015
#15 - BROWN BOXING CRIMINALS
If you order arachnids (or other wildlife) from someone outside of the U.S. and have it shipped into the U.S. without an import/export license and clearance at a designated port of entry with proper wildlife and customs paperwork, inspections and fees you are a criminal.
Importing live animals - whether wild caught or captive bred - into the United States requires a license and following specific regulations and procedures. It is both expensive and somewhat complicated. Having live animals (or dead or animal parts) shipped illegally to your doorstep is called "Brown Boxing" and is a serious federal crime. Again, if you order arachnids (or other wildlife) from someone outside of the U.S. and have them shipped illegally into the U.S. you are a criminal. If you carry same from outside the U.S. into the U.S. you are a criminal. Plain and simple. Let me begin with the only proper way to obtain an order of livestock (we'll just use tarantulas as an example) and illustrate what legal importers like myself go through.
First you need a U.S. Fish and Wildlife import/export license. Mine is illustrated here with just my home address blocked out. I legally import captive bred tarantulas from Europe into America. The permit fee is $100 per year. You apply by completing the form and submitting to your appropriate regional office. There are eight Law Enforcement Regional Permit Offices. Only those in possession of a valid Federal Fish and Wildlife Permit - Import/Export License can have tarantulas shipped into the United States.
So, let's say you get a license. You are far from done. There are many costs of importing. First of all you must have animals shipped air freight (following airline regulations) into a USFW Port of Entry airport. There are 18 Designated Ports of Entry. International freight is expensive. As I wrote earlier, I plan to be brutally honest with these blogs. And, to that end, I am going to now disclose exactly what it cost for my last import from the UK into Chicago. You will discover that it will cost about $1000-1600 before you even buy a single spider (or whatever). I normally import from the UK and air freight is reasonable. To import from Germany can be twice as much as Lufthansa is the only airline and they are both expensive and require wooden crates.
My last import cost over $1100 in fees. That is without a single creature purchased. To offset this expense you best plan on spending a good deal of money on critters. This shipment my spider invoice was just under $8000. So my expenditure exceeded nine grand. $400 of the fees was air freight from Wales to England to Chicago. As I said, that is pretty good. The same shipment from Germany may have been $1000+ in freight. 48 hours prior to your shipment's arrival an invoice detailing everything and specifying species by scientific name must be sent to Fish and Wildlife. To facilitate the process of Fish and Wildlife forms and inspections and clearance by U.S. Customs an order like this is best served by using a private customs broker who will expedite and organize everything. My broker invoice was $727.61 and was broken down as follows.
Regarding International Sales
As we are an international community here on Arachnoboards, we felt we should make this announcement. It is the responsibility of the buyer and seller to know the laws of their respective countries regarding the import/export of the goods they are dealing in. (In most cases on this site, arachnids or other "arachnopets".)
For those members residing in the United States, it is ILLEGAL to import or export without the appropriate permits. If the person you are dealing with has the appropriate permits for their country, that has NO bearing on the fact that YOU must ALSO have the appropriate permits in the U.S. "Brown Boxing"* is not only illegal, it's stupid. If you're caught, the least of your worries will be the impounding of the "Brown Box" and the worst could be some hefty fines as well as jail time.
It's just not worth it.
Scott
* The importing or exporting of goods without appropriate permits or declaration of contents.
AB obviously is just one of many places foreign sellers advertise and where American hobbyists may see adverts and arrange orders. But since AB is been my online home since 2003, and is the biggest and best of the arachnid-related online forums, I am just using this one marketplace as the example here. It must first be recognized that AB is an international forum. Sellers outside the U.S. have every right to advertise in AB's Classifieds Forums. There are plenty of international buyers that can legally receive their animals. But most U.S. residents cannot. If a seller states that they will ship to the United States AB will remove the advert ASAP. I am going to call out and use Vixvy to illustrate the problem, but he is just one of many foreigners who ship to the U.S. in a manner that is at least illegal for the recipient. He actually was banned from AB for a time, but now walks the line of what is acceptable to be able to post. But, my own opinion, is that he crosses that line and should be banished unless he clearly states in his ads that he will not ship to the United States. However, AB is not my site so my opinion is irrelevant. I want to stress that AB cannot be held responsible for the actions of its posters and has always maintained a great community by having strict rules and an effective moderation team. At the top of the "Arachnoboards Team" is the owners Scott and Debby and they will enforce their rules and maintain AB as the credit to the hobby that it has been for almost 15 years.
On June 14, 2015 Vixvy posted just one more of the many ads he has since joining AB back in 2005. Click here for the ad in this example. The title is "FREE shipping to all countries". Note the use of the word "all". The body of his ad quotes prices in U.S. dollars. If he was targeting international customers it would be better to use the Euro or post prices in a number of currencies. The use of "USD" is, in my opinion, evidence that he is targeting U.S. hobbyists. He knows his U.S. customers are breaking the law so if he wanted to run a moral business he would state in his ad they he does not ship to the U.S. and refuse orders from Americans. However, he doesn't and the disturbing thing is that his review thread posts not only prove that he ships to Americans, but the posters - his customers who have broken federal wildlife law - have publicly declared that they are criminals. I hope each one of them is contacted by USFW Law Enforcement. I should interject here that in all likelihood Vixvy himself is breaking no laws. In his country (he states his location as "southeast Asia" and doesn't specify which country) it may be perfectly lawful to export wildlife and ship using the carrier that he does. It probably isn't until the package lands on U.S. soil and is accepted by an American that the crime is committed. So I am here to attack the "brown boxers" not the sellers.
Click here for Vixvy's AB review thread. The first post is from 2007 and his customer lives in Greece. No problem. But as you scroll down it only takes a three posts before the poster's location is in the United States. "redknee_freak" is post #3 and "Thiscordia" is post #4. Both in the U.S. Both presumed law breakers. I could go on if I had the time, but these crimes occurred in 2007 ... let's jump ahead to more recent offenders. "Jarvis" in Bellevue, Washington received a "big" order of scorpions earlier this month. "Widow lover" in Oklahoma received a package in February 2015. "Scott L" in Pittsburgh wrote a review one year ago. Of course, there aren't that many recent reviews. Why? Because those I named weren't only crime committers; they were also fucking stupid. I imagine most of Vixvy's American customers are smart enough to not publicize their crimes. Then again, how many times have you seen where someone posts a photo or statement on social media about a crime - even those as heinous as rape and murder - and then gets arrested. People are fucking stupid.
But let's not just talk about Vixvy. Let's move onto SARNAC. His real name is Nikolaj and he is in Warsaw, Poland. His review thread is here. There are only 7 posts so we can call out the criminals. First in June of 2013 "beaker41" of Boise, Idaho listed the spiders. One was Brachypelma vagans. All Brachypelma are CITES (Convention in International Trade of Endangered Species) listed so this illegal act is particularly severe. Thus, "beaker41" is not only a criminal, but completely braindead. "Rabid538" in Exeter, NH was next. Her real name is "Sandra" and she stated that her package was shipped "with registered letter priority shipping". Next are a couple posts by "reptileguy" who states in one post that he encourages "anyone with the proper licenses to" order from him. Is there a possibility this was a legal import? Perhaps, but the post states that the order was for 15 tarantulas. This is why I detailed the expenses of my shipment. It is cost prohibitive to order 15 tarantulas if you are having them sent to a legal designated port of entry and air freight, USFW fees, etc. are expensive! Having an import/export license isn't enough! You must declare the shipment and it must clear USFW inspection and U.S. Customs.
I asked Scott and Debby about the review threads and they were very clear that they will not remove any of these posts even if the user who posted them requests that they do. Scott and Debby want anyone who "brown boxes" to get caught. They can see that USFW is on AB from time to time. They hope USFW law enforcement uses the information on AB as evidence to prosecute "brown boxers". From my conversation with them and Scott's AB post that I quoted above it is clear that they share my views on "brown boxing".
Most importantly, it U.S. Fish and Wildlife's responsibility to enforce their rules and investigate these crimes. It certainly isn't the responsibility of Arachnoboards or Fauna Classifieds or a Facebook classified group or any other conduit foreign sellers use to connect with US buyers willing to break the law by "brown boxing". It is up to USFW to make an example out of the "brown boxers" that they can catch. It is also the responsibility of the law enforcement agencies in the shipper's countries to worry about enforcing any laws that they may be breaking.
I realize I am focusing on the American buyers who are "brown boxing". But foreign sellers can be prosecuted by USFW as well. Foreign sellers have been arrested for their role in American "brown boxing" of tarantulas. One well known example is Sven Koppler of Germany. Here is one news report of that case.
I understand that some of the "brown boxers" are ignorant to the fact that they are committing a crime, but most Americans are familiar with the fact that ignorance of a law is not a defense. I am sure, however, that the majority of the people who order from the likes of Vixvy, SARNAC or a recent new dealer in the UK who is posting in Facebook's classifieds group and will ship via British Post to Americans are aware that they are committing a crime. What I can't understand is why they are willing to risk the punishment to get a bargain or obtain something new. There are a number of us in United States arachnoculture who import legally and in combination offer a daunting variety of interesting arachnids. Additionally, there are reptile importers who offer arachnids.
I hope that someone from USFW reads this blog and passes it on to someone who might investigate our hobby and make examples of some "brown boxers". I hope that someone reads this who actually was unaware that having a package sent from Vixvy or any foreign seller to his or her doorstep is illegal and it prevents him or her from ordering. I don't expect it will have that effect on all. There are plenty of people who think that "brown boxing" is easy and foolishly take the risk.
I just want them caught. There's a rumor floating around that one of the "pseudo dealers" I referred to in an earlier blog - a guy nobody heard of before who popped up out of nowhere but wants to play spider dealer - recently brown boxed Brachypelma auratum from Vixvy. Not only an illegal shipment, but a CITES protected species. A reliable source has told me he admitted it and claimed to not know any better. I hope he fries in bacon grease. This is also an example that Vixvy has blatant disregard for wildlife regulations. CITES is international so he was violating the law as well. Another reason I personally would ban him from any classifieds I moderated.
I know some of my friends like Frank Somma and John Apple have strong views on "brown boxing" and can contribute to this discussion. I encourage them to post below in the comments anything I may have overlooked or stated poorly or incorrectly and "co-author" this post.
Although I am a USFW licensed importer I don't claim to be an authority on USFW regulations. I know how to do what I do legally and that is it. This blog is about American law and, fortunately, in the U.S. everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. So, all the examples I used above are of alleged crimes. I presume the American individuals I mentioned committed a crime, but have no direct knowledge of anything other than the stupidity of their writing of a review for a foreign seller. Additionally, I am not in a position to know about the laws that apply to any foreign sellers. I do, however, know that foreign sellers other Koppler mentioned above have been prosecuted in the United States for their role in "brown boxing" of arachnids (and reptiles, etc.) by Americans.
MJ
Importing live animals - whether wild caught or captive bred - into the United States requires a license and following specific regulations and procedures. It is both expensive and somewhat complicated. Having live animals (or dead or animal parts) shipped illegally to your doorstep is called "Brown Boxing" and is a serious federal crime. Again, if you order arachnids (or other wildlife) from someone outside of the U.S. and have them shipped illegally into the U.S. you are a criminal. If you carry same from outside the U.S. into the U.S. you are a criminal. Plain and simple. Let me begin with the only proper way to obtain an order of livestock (we'll just use tarantulas as an example) and illustrate what legal importers like myself go through.
First you need a U.S. Fish and Wildlife import/export license. Mine is illustrated here with just my home address blocked out. I legally import captive bred tarantulas from Europe into America. The permit fee is $100 per year. You apply by completing the form and submitting to your appropriate regional office. There are eight Law Enforcement Regional Permit Offices. Only those in possession of a valid Federal Fish and Wildlife Permit - Import/Export License can have tarantulas shipped into the United States.
So, let's say you get a license. You are far from done. There are many costs of importing. First of all you must have animals shipped air freight (following airline regulations) into a USFW Port of Entry airport. There are 18 Designated Ports of Entry. International freight is expensive. As I wrote earlier, I plan to be brutally honest with these blogs. And, to that end, I am going to now disclose exactly what it cost for my last import from the UK into Chicago. You will discover that it will cost about $1000-1600 before you even buy a single spider (or whatever). I normally import from the UK and air freight is reasonable. To import from Germany can be twice as much as Lufthansa is the only airline and they are both expensive and require wooden crates.
My last import cost over $1100 in fees. That is without a single creature purchased. To offset this expense you best plan on spending a good deal of money on critters. This shipment my spider invoice was just under $8000. So my expenditure exceeded nine grand. $400 of the fees was air freight from Wales to England to Chicago. As I said, that is pretty good. The same shipment from Germany may have been $1000+ in freight. 48 hours prior to your shipment's arrival an invoice detailing everything and specifying species by scientific name must be sent to Fish and Wildlife. To facilitate the process of Fish and Wildlife forms and inspections and clearance by U.S. Customs an order like this is best served by using a private customs broker who will expedite and organize everything. My broker invoice was $727.61 and was broken down as follows.
- Outport Broker/SVC Fee - 150.00
- Fish & Wildlife Fee/Cert. - 291.00
- Fish & Wildlife Overtime - 100.00*
- Single Entry Bond - 120.00
- Import Service Charge - 40.00
- Duty - 26.61
*As you can see there was an extra $100 for overtime, but it can be difficult to get your shipment to arrive during the wildlife inspector's "banker's hours". Also, your wildlife isn't the only arriving that day so they may be busy and not get to your box until after quitting time. So an expensive shipment becomes more expensive and more time consuming.
So, this is an example of what an importing tarantula dealer faces. An honest, law-abiding importer.
The United States resident who places an order with someone overseas - for example, from this Vixvy character from Asia that advertises on Arachnoboards - and does not have a USFW import/license and has the shipment cleared by USFW and Customs at a designated port of entry is breaking the law and I wish legal charges on every single ignorant fool. They are breaking the law and subject to fines and imprisonment and I'd like to see each punished to the full extent of the law.
Before I proceed further and call out those who "brown box" and the foreign suppliers that ship to them I want to make a statement about Arachnoboards (AB). Scott and Debby Scher who own AB are close friends and it was them that I wanted to discuss this issue with further and why I delayed this blog a day or two. I wanted to make sure I understood their views and their site's policies before I wrote this lengthy blog, which I knew would turn into a sort of exposé. I spoke with both Scott and Debby and they made it clear that they are just as opposed to illegal trafficking - "brown boxing" - as I am and that they sincerely hope everyone who does so gets caught. And it is their site (aka "boards" or forum) that may aid in some of these people being punished.
Here is Scott Scher's post on "brown boxing" and official AB disclaimer on advertising.
Disclaimer: Arachnopets is NOT responsible for anything sold, purchased or traded in the classifieds...
So, this is an example of what an importing tarantula dealer faces. An honest, law-abiding importer.
The United States resident who places an order with someone overseas - for example, from this Vixvy character from Asia that advertises on Arachnoboards - and does not have a USFW import/license and has the shipment cleared by USFW and Customs at a designated port of entry is breaking the law and I wish legal charges on every single ignorant fool. They are breaking the law and subject to fines and imprisonment and I'd like to see each punished to the full extent of the law.
Before I proceed further and call out those who "brown box" and the foreign suppliers that ship to them I want to make a statement about Arachnoboards (AB). Scott and Debby Scher who own AB are close friends and it was them that I wanted to discuss this issue with further and why I delayed this blog a day or two. I wanted to make sure I understood their views and their site's policies before I wrote this lengthy blog, which I knew would turn into a sort of exposé. I spoke with both Scott and Debby and they made it clear that they are just as opposed to illegal trafficking - "brown boxing" - as I am and that they sincerely hope everyone who does so gets caught. And it is their site (aka "boards" or forum) that may aid in some of these people being punished.
Here is Scott Scher's post on "brown boxing" and official AB disclaimer on advertising.
Disclaimer: Arachnopets is NOT responsible for anything sold, purchased or traded in the classifieds...
Regarding International Sales
As we are an international community here on Arachnoboards, we felt we should make this announcement. It is the responsibility of the buyer and seller to know the laws of their respective countries regarding the import/export of the goods they are dealing in. (In most cases on this site, arachnids or other "arachnopets".)
For those members residing in the United States, it is ILLEGAL to import or export without the appropriate permits. If the person you are dealing with has the appropriate permits for their country, that has NO bearing on the fact that YOU must ALSO have the appropriate permits in the U.S. "Brown Boxing"* is not only illegal, it's stupid. If you're caught, the least of your worries will be the impounding of the "Brown Box" and the worst could be some hefty fines as well as jail time.
It's just not worth it.
Scott
* The importing or exporting of goods without appropriate permits or declaration of contents.
AB obviously is just one of many places foreign sellers advertise and where American hobbyists may see adverts and arrange orders. But since AB is been my online home since 2003, and is the biggest and best of the arachnid-related online forums, I am just using this one marketplace as the example here. It must first be recognized that AB is an international forum. Sellers outside the U.S. have every right to advertise in AB's Classifieds Forums. There are plenty of international buyers that can legally receive their animals. But most U.S. residents cannot. If a seller states that they will ship to the United States AB will remove the advert ASAP. I am going to call out and use Vixvy to illustrate the problem, but he is just one of many foreigners who ship to the U.S. in a manner that is at least illegal for the recipient. He actually was banned from AB for a time, but now walks the line of what is acceptable to be able to post. But, my own opinion, is that he crosses that line and should be banished unless he clearly states in his ads that he will not ship to the United States. However, AB is not my site so my opinion is irrelevant. I want to stress that AB cannot be held responsible for the actions of its posters and has always maintained a great community by having strict rules and an effective moderation team. At the top of the "Arachnoboards Team" is the owners Scott and Debby and they will enforce their rules and maintain AB as the credit to the hobby that it has been for almost 15 years.
On June 14, 2015 Vixvy posted just one more of the many ads he has since joining AB back in 2005. Click here for the ad in this example. The title is "FREE shipping to all countries". Note the use of the word "all". The body of his ad quotes prices in U.S. dollars. If he was targeting international customers it would be better to use the Euro or post prices in a number of currencies. The use of "USD" is, in my opinion, evidence that he is targeting U.S. hobbyists. He knows his U.S. customers are breaking the law so if he wanted to run a moral business he would state in his ad they he does not ship to the U.S. and refuse orders from Americans. However, he doesn't and the disturbing thing is that his review thread posts not only prove that he ships to Americans, but the posters - his customers who have broken federal wildlife law - have publicly declared that they are criminals. I hope each one of them is contacted by USFW Law Enforcement. I should interject here that in all likelihood Vixvy himself is breaking no laws. In his country (he states his location as "southeast Asia" and doesn't specify which country) it may be perfectly lawful to export wildlife and ship using the carrier that he does. It probably isn't until the package lands on U.S. soil and is accepted by an American that the crime is committed. So I am here to attack the "brown boxers" not the sellers.
Click here for Vixvy's AB review thread. The first post is from 2007 and his customer lives in Greece. No problem. But as you scroll down it only takes a three posts before the poster's location is in the United States. "redknee_freak" is post #3 and "Thiscordia" is post #4. Both in the U.S. Both presumed law breakers. I could go on if I had the time, but these crimes occurred in 2007 ... let's jump ahead to more recent offenders. "Jarvis" in Bellevue, Washington received a "big" order of scorpions earlier this month. "Widow lover" in Oklahoma received a package in February 2015. "Scott L" in Pittsburgh wrote a review one year ago. Of course, there aren't that many recent reviews. Why? Because those I named weren't only crime committers; they were also fucking stupid. I imagine most of Vixvy's American customers are smart enough to not publicize their crimes. Then again, how many times have you seen where someone posts a photo or statement on social media about a crime - even those as heinous as rape and murder - and then gets arrested. People are fucking stupid.
But let's not just talk about Vixvy. Let's move onto SARNAC. His real name is Nikolaj and he is in Warsaw, Poland. His review thread is here. There are only 7 posts so we can call out the criminals. First in June of 2013 "beaker41" of Boise, Idaho listed the spiders. One was Brachypelma vagans. All Brachypelma are CITES (Convention in International Trade of Endangered Species) listed so this illegal act is particularly severe. Thus, "beaker41" is not only a criminal, but completely braindead. "Rabid538" in Exeter, NH was next. Her real name is "Sandra" and she stated that her package was shipped "with registered letter priority shipping". Next are a couple posts by "reptileguy" who states in one post that he encourages "anyone with the proper licenses to" order from him. Is there a possibility this was a legal import? Perhaps, but the post states that the order was for 15 tarantulas. This is why I detailed the expenses of my shipment. It is cost prohibitive to order 15 tarantulas if you are having them sent to a legal designated port of entry and air freight, USFW fees, etc. are expensive! Having an import/export license isn't enough! You must declare the shipment and it must clear USFW inspection and U.S. Customs.
I asked Scott and Debby about the review threads and they were very clear that they will not remove any of these posts even if the user who posted them requests that they do. Scott and Debby want anyone who "brown boxes" to get caught. They can see that USFW is on AB from time to time. They hope USFW law enforcement uses the information on AB as evidence to prosecute "brown boxers". From my conversation with them and Scott's AB post that I quoted above it is clear that they share my views on "brown boxing".
Most importantly, it U.S. Fish and Wildlife's responsibility to enforce their rules and investigate these crimes. It certainly isn't the responsibility of Arachnoboards or Fauna Classifieds or a Facebook classified group or any other conduit foreign sellers use to connect with US buyers willing to break the law by "brown boxing". It is up to USFW to make an example out of the "brown boxers" that they can catch. It is also the responsibility of the law enforcement agencies in the shipper's countries to worry about enforcing any laws that they may be breaking.
I realize I am focusing on the American buyers who are "brown boxing". But foreign sellers can be prosecuted by USFW as well. Foreign sellers have been arrested for their role in American "brown boxing" of tarantulas. One well known example is Sven Koppler of Germany. Here is one news report of that case.
I understand that some of the "brown boxers" are ignorant to the fact that they are committing a crime, but most Americans are familiar with the fact that ignorance of a law is not a defense. I am sure, however, that the majority of the people who order from the likes of Vixvy, SARNAC or a recent new dealer in the UK who is posting in Facebook's classifieds group and will ship via British Post to Americans are aware that they are committing a crime. What I can't understand is why they are willing to risk the punishment to get a bargain or obtain something new. There are a number of us in United States arachnoculture who import legally and in combination offer a daunting variety of interesting arachnids. Additionally, there are reptile importers who offer arachnids.
I hope that someone from USFW reads this blog and passes it on to someone who might investigate our hobby and make examples of some "brown boxers". I hope that someone reads this who actually was unaware that having a package sent from Vixvy or any foreign seller to his or her doorstep is illegal and it prevents him or her from ordering. I don't expect it will have that effect on all. There are plenty of people who think that "brown boxing" is easy and foolishly take the risk.
I just want them caught. There's a rumor floating around that one of the "pseudo dealers" I referred to in an earlier blog - a guy nobody heard of before who popped up out of nowhere but wants to play spider dealer - recently brown boxed Brachypelma auratum from Vixvy. Not only an illegal shipment, but a CITES protected species. A reliable source has told me he admitted it and claimed to not know any better. I hope he fries in bacon grease. This is also an example that Vixvy has blatant disregard for wildlife regulations. CITES is international so he was violating the law as well. Another reason I personally would ban him from any classifieds I moderated.
I know some of my friends like Frank Somma and John Apple have strong views on "brown boxing" and can contribute to this discussion. I encourage them to post below in the comments anything I may have overlooked or stated poorly or incorrectly and "co-author" this post.
Although I am a USFW licensed importer I don't claim to be an authority on USFW regulations. I know how to do what I do legally and that is it. This blog is about American law and, fortunately, in the U.S. everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. So, all the examples I used above are of alleged crimes. I presume the American individuals I mentioned committed a crime, but have no direct knowledge of anything other than the stupidity of their writing of a review for a foreign seller. Additionally, I am not in a position to know about the laws that apply to any foreign sellers. I do, however, know that foreign sellers other Koppler mentioned above have been prosecuted in the United States for their role in "brown boxing" of arachnids (and reptiles, etc.) by Americans.
MJ
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