Ivory Smuggler Guilty - Narwhal Tusk Trafficking Case Ends in $385,000 Penalty, Conditional Sentence, and Court Orders

ST. STEPHEN, N.B., Oct. 2, 2013 /CNW/ - Yesterday, in provincial court, Gregory (Greg) Logan, of Woodmans Point, New Brunswick, was convicted of seven counts for offences related to the illegal export of about 250 Narwhal ivory tusks to the United States. These offences were committed over a period of seven years. Mr. Logan was sentenced to pay a penalty of $385,000. This penalty is the largest in Canada for offences under the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA).

In addition to the $385,000 penalty, Mr. Logan must serve an eight-month conditional sentence to be served in the community, including four months of house arrest. Mr. Logan is prohibited from possessing or purchasing marine mammal products for a period of 10 years. Mr. Logan is also required to forfeit items used to smuggle the tusks across the Canada-United States border, including a truck and trailer seized during the investigation.

In Canada, only Inuit may harvest Narwhal, which is a source of food and income in northern communities. The harvest and transport of tusks is regulated to ensure that legal trade continues to remain viable and sustainable.

The Narwhal, often referred to as "the unicorn of the sea", is recognized as a species of special concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. It is also listed as a protected species under Appendix II of the Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES, an international agreement, sets controls on the movement of animal and plant species that are, or may be, threatened due to excessive commercial exploitation.

Operation Longtooth, a two-and-a-half-year investigation, began in April 2009, when Environment Canada's Enforcement Branch received information from enforcement agencies in the United States regarding the illegal purchase of Narwhal tusks in that country which had originated from Canada. The investigation involved enforcement agencies from across Canada and the United States, producing evidence of ongoing smuggling of Narwhal tusks from Canada to buyers in the United States.

Environment Canada's Enforcement Branch is dedicated to enforcing laws that protect and conserve Canada's wildlife. If CITES-listed wildlife is imported into Canada, exported from Canada, or attempted to be exported without the required permits, those goods are subject to seizure and forfeiture, and those responsible are liable to prosecution.

For more information and to view a backgrounder on this announcement, please visit the Web site of Environment Canada at http://www.ec.gc.ca/.

Environment Canada has created a subscription service to help the Canadians stay current with what the Government of Canada is doing to protect our natural environment. Subscribing to Environment Canada's Enforcement Notifications is easy, and free. Sign up today.

SOURCE: Environment Canada

please contact:

Jennifer Kennedy
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of the Environment
819-997-1441

Media Relations
Environment Canada
819-934-8008

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