WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people have been charged with international trafficking of flying squirrels worth an estimated one million U.S. dollars in southeastern U.S. state Florida, local media reported on Tuesday.
More than 10,000 squirrel traps were deployed to catch as many as 3,600 flying squirrels in less than three years, said a report by The Hill, noting the total estimated cost after international sales is upwards of a million dollars.
The suspects have been charged with racketeering, money laundering, scheming to defraud and other organized criminal laws for their participation in the elaborate scheme, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement on Monday.
Flying squirrels are generally of least concern in conservation status. However, two subspecies of northern flying squirrel are federally listed as endangered, and the animals are protected in Florida. Enditem