A 61-year-old Sydney man has received a record jail sentence for attempting to export Australian reptiles to Hong Kong, Romania, South Korea and Sri Lanka.
Neil Simpson was sentenced on Friday in the Downing Centre NSW District Court to 8 years in jail with a non-parole period of 5 years and 4 months. The sentence relates to three combined charges of attempting to export Australian Regulated Native Specimens, in 15 separate packages, between 2018 and 2023.
This matter, prosecuted by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecution, is the largest sentence given to a wildlife smuggler in Australia.
Department of Climate Change, Energy the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) investigators recovered 101 live reptiles from seized parcels. With the assistance of NSW Police, several hundred live reptiles were seized during subsequent search warrants, as part of Operations Buckland and Pandora.
Lizards, skinks and dragons were secured in calico bags. These bags were concealed in bags of popcorn, biscuit tins and a women’s handbag and placed inside cardboard boxes.
Multiple species
Specimens recovered comprised Shingleback lizards, Western blue-tongue lizards, Centralian blue-tongue lizards, Bearded dragons, Southern Pygmy spiny-tailed skinks, Eastern Pilbara spiny-tailed skinks, Desert skinks, Narrow-banded sand swimmers and Major skinks.
Simpson engaged others to post packages on his behalf to avoid detection. However, due to the concerted efforts of DCCEEW investigators and its partners, the offender was identified within days of the packages being posted.
Three other members of this criminal enterprise have been convicted for their roles.
For NSW operations, DCCEEW works with regulatory agencies such as Australian Border Force, NSW Police and NSW DCCEEW’s Biodiversity and Heritage Regulator in the joint fight against wildlife crime. This work is undertaken with the assistance of Australia Post and the Wildlife Crime Research Hub at the University of Adelaide.
It is an offence under the national environment law to export a regulated native species without a permit.
Each native wildlife offence under the EPBC Act carries a maximum penalty of imprisonment for 10 years and/or a $330,000 fine for an individual or a $1,650,000 fine for a corporation.
Anyone with information about wildlife smuggling should report it to DCCEEW or Crime Stoppers.
Zero toleration
A federal DCCEEW spokesperson said, ‘This record sentence sends a strong message that profiting from illegally exporting our native wildlife will not be tolerated. If you do the crime, you will do the time.
‘The illegal international trade in Australia’s precious wildlife is cruel and has a devastating impact on our biodiversity. The heartless criminals who attempt to exploit the popularity of our native wildlife in overseas markets for quick profits should take note.
‘We’re working closely with our partners to stop parcels at the border using advanced scanning technologies that detect animals through any concealment method. If you attempt to illegally export our native wildlife, your parcel will be intercepted, and our investigators will track you down.’
A NSW DCCEEW spokesperson said, ‘The illegal wildlife trade is not a victimless crime. It strips NSW and Australia of its unique biodiversity and undermines conservation work. Our native reptiles are not commodities to be trafficked for profit. They belong in the wild, not in overseas black markets.
‘The NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has recently established the Biodiversity and Heritage Regulator (BHR) — a new, modern regulator that will continue working closely with law enforcement partners to detect, disrupt and prosecute anyone involved in wildlife smuggling.’
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