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May 13, 2008 6:52 pm US/Central
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2 Women Indicted For Selling Animal Parts
ST. PAUL (WCCO) ―
A long list of animals, including some of the world's most endangered, were brought into the United States and sold in Minnesota illegally. Now two women from the Twin Cities have been federal indicted for their role in the smuggling.
Pa Lor and Tia Yang face conspiracy charges for allegedly bringing those animals into the United States, and possessing and distributing anabolic steroids.
The indictment alleges the two women were selling the animal parts at the International Marketplace in St. Paul. The marketplace houses more than 100 vendors selling everything from clothes to food, movies and much more.
"We try to have a community," said Chupheng Lee, vice president of Lao Family Community of Minnesota.
The investigation into Lor and Yang goes back to a flight from Laos into the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in October 2005. That's when inspectors said they searched Lor's bags and found 1,388 individual animal parts.
Authorities then say they bought several wildlife items from Lor at a booth in the International Marketplace.
After executing a search warrant at the booth, they recovered more animal parts. The animals included a black striped weasel, a small-clawed otter, slider turtles and leaf monkey. These animals are protected under an international treaty.
The indictment alleges Yang leases the booth at the International Marketplace. Federal authorities said the women did not have the proper permits to take the animals out of Laos to bring them into the United States.
"Her intention is to, well, to get medication for the community," said Lee.
He believes the women were innocently trying to bring their culture to America. Animals parts, he said, are often mixed with herbs to cure sicknesses, which is part of the Hmong culture.
"We know that in China they still use that. In Asia, they still use that, they still use herb medicine," said Lee.
However, they don't use animal parts in the United States, and that's the reason why the two women will now face federal charges.
They will hear those formal charges against them within another week. If they're found guilty, they could face up to five years in prison.
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