(NewsNation) — Three people have been arrested in California on wildlife trafficking violations after authorities seized hundreds of animal parts from protected species earlier this month.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife opened an investigation in January after “the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service intercepted a falsely labeled shipment from Thailand destined for Fresno that contained four elephant trunks,” according to a press release from Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The CDFW verified that the trunks were from Asian elephants, a species protected under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species.
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Authorities also seized hundreds of other animal parts made from ivory, elephant and other poached animals, including rhino horns, walrus tusks, suspected bear gall bladders, saiga antelope and turtle shells.
‘One of the larger’ trafficking cases in recent years
“We have discovered cases like this, across the years, throughout the years, for the past 10 years. But this one, this definitely marks one of the larger cases for sure,” Nathan Smith, the Assistant Chief, Special Operations for Law Enforcement Division, California Fish and Wildlife, told local outlet KMPH…