Man nets a $7,500 fine for illegal importation of crocodile meat into Alberta
A man was slapped with a $7,500 fine after bringing the meat of a threatened crocodile species into Alberta with him last year.
Adeleke Abubakar Ali-Ibironke was fined on Wednesday after pleading guilty in the Alberta Court of Justice to one count of unlawfully importing a species of animal without obtaining the required permits.
The charge stems from an incident in February 2022 when Ali-Ibironke arrived on an international flight at the Calgary International Airport and did not declare any food or animal products.
The federal government says further examination by the Canada Border Services Agency revealed approximately six pounds of meat products in Ali-Ibironke’s luggage.
Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers inspected the meat products and sent samples for DNA analysis to identify the species and the testing identified the meat as African dwarf crocodile.
The species is listed as an Appendix I species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) because it is classified as a threatened species.
African dwarf crocodiles have been listed under CITES as an Appendix I species since the signing of CITES in 1975.
The fine handed down to Ali-Ibironke will be directed to the federal government’s Environmental Damages Fund.