Mexican companies caught up in rare species investigation
10/09/2007
The US Justice Department has accused a number of leather-sector companies in Guanajuato, Mexico, of being involved in trading the hides of rare and endangered species.
Undercover agents have been working on the case for three years, posing as clients to smash a smuggling ring that allegedly involved traders crossing from Mexico into Texas and California with hides and leathergoods made from python, caimans and, especially, sea-turtles.
They say they have also uncovered a secret tannery in Guanajuato that produced leather from controlled species.
A hearing in Denver is ongoing. Mexican media have suggested leather business owners found guilty could face 20 years in prison.
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