14 DAY TRIAL // A fish dealer by the name Joel Rakower must now pay $73,000 (€53,628) in fines and restitution in order to make up for the fact that, in just two years’ time, he smuggled nearly 40,000 piranhas into New York City.
Media reports say that the piranhas Joel Rakower brought to New York City came all the way from Hong Kong. In order to smuggle them in the United States, the fish dealer used his own company, i.e. Transship Discounts Ltd.
Due to the fact that piranhas are currently illegal in New York City and in 25 states across the country, the man had to lie about what they really were in order to get them past customs.
According to The Examiner, Joel Rakower asked his supplier in Hong Kong to label the creatures as common aquarium fish. He thus managed to smuggle a total of 39,548 piranhas in New York City between 2011-2012.
It is estimated that, all in all, the flesh-eaters illegally brought by this fish dealer into the country are worth some $37,400 (€27,475).
The fish were eventually sold to retailers across the country. Authorities say that, of the nearly 40,000 piranhas that made it into the United States with the help of Joel Rawover, just 850 have until now been recovered.
This past Wednesday, the fish dealer pleaded guilty to the charges filed against him. His lawyer argued that the entire affair was no more and no less than a lapse in judgement.
This coming April 24, Joel Rakower is scheduled to make an appearance in a court of law in Brooklyn, where he will be handed his sentence.
Wildlife specialists say that, although they are native to the Amazon and over rivers in South America, piranhas are well equipped to also live and breed in somewhat cooler waters.
Because these fish are extremely aggressive and have a pretty impressive appetite, it is believed that, should they somehow end up in the wild, the balance of ecosystems in the United States would be in danger.