Officers crack illegal reptile trade operation

Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Mark Miller, special assistant to Fish and Game, handles an albino monocle cobra seized from the home of Sarah Kafel of Mountain Home, one of several people charged with illegal trafficking in reptiles.

Idaho Fish and Game conservation officer Bob Sellers of Mountain Home has helped crack a major case involving the illegal reptile trade.

More than two years of determined investigative work by a small group of Fish and Game conservation officers and federal agents has led to the conviction of four individuals, with actions pending against one more, all involved in the illegal collection, possession and selling of reptiles. And a Citizens Against Poaching (CAP) call started it all.

The case is one for the record books. During the course of "Operation Sneaky Snake," a record 569 violations were detected, including 113 felonies against five individuals.

In June 2004, a Citizens Against Poaching (CAP) call was received by Idaho Fish and Game regarding the possible illegal sale of an American crow.

Sellers investigated the tip, and found that the illegal transaction was in the works. He issued warnings to both individuals involved and also learned that the buyer, Sarah R. Kafel, 27, of Mountain Home, was hoping to trade some reptiles from her personal collection for the crow.

Sellers explained to Kafel that protected reptiles could not be legally traded or sold in Idaho.

Just one month later Kafel posted an advertisement in the local paper offering to sell some of her reptiles. U.S. Fish and Wildlife enforcement officer Scott Kabasa noticed the advertisement and brought it to the attention of Fish and Game conservation officer Charlie Justus. Their investigation of Kafel and her attempt to illegally sell reptiles in Idaho quickly broadened to encompass four other individuals.

One of the four -- Russell G. "Russ" Jones, 36, of Star, was already quite familiar to Justus and other Fish and Game officers. He had been convicted in 1998 for illegally collecting and possessing a variety of reptiles including endangered desert tortoises, rattlesnakes and Gila monsters collected in Arizona.

During the investigation, it was determined that Kafel, Jones and the other players in Operation Sneaky Snake were well versed but simply ignoring the rules governing the collecting, housing and trade in reptiles.

It also came to light that many of the snakes and lizards in Jones' current collection were from Arizona and Nevada, two states that allow for the collection of reptiles, but prohibit the sale of collected specimens. Additionally, none of the specimens collected from outside Idaho had proper import permits.

Jones and Kafel remained the focus of the investigation until Jones found himself in jail, charged with an unrelated criminal felony. That event actually led to the widening of the reptile case against Jones as Justus learned where Jones' inventory of snakes and reptiles was being housed during his incarceration.

Justus determined that Joaquin C. "Jack" Coronado, 35, of Nampa, Arthur J. "Jared" Aicher, 35, of Boise and Craig L. Carpenter, 35, of Mountain Home were housing and caring for Jones' collection of venomous and non-venomous snakes and lizards, including a rare Mojave green rattlesnake (found only in Nevada), sidewinder and great basin rattlesnakes, a Utah mountain kingsnake (a protected species in Nevada), rubber boas and collared lizards. Permits were lacking for all the species imported from other states.

Now armed with all the evidence he needed, Justus requested and received four search warrants from Ada, Canyon and Elmore counties. The warrants were served simultaneously on Sept. 23, 2005 on the homes of Coronado, Aicher, Carpenter and Kafel.

More than 180 venomous and non-venomous snakes were seized from the four residences.

Between May and July of 2006, portions of the investigation were finalized, and Justus began handing off his case files against the five individuals to Ada, Canyon and Elmore County Prosecutors.

The case load against Russ Jones was daunting: he faced 238 separate violations, including 60 felonies. Under a plea-bargain agreement, Jones pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges in Canyon County court on Aug. 25, 2006:

* Import 38 snakes and lizards into Idaho without permit.

* Aid and abet in the taking/possession of 43 snakes and lizards in Idaho without a license.

* Sell/offer for sale 66 snakes and lizards from Idaho, Nevada and Arizona.

* Possess one Utah Mountain Kingsnake unlawfully collected in Nevada.

* Aid and abet the possession of 41 venomous snakes in unlocked/unlawful cages.

For his role in Operation Sneaky Snake, Jones received a lifetime hunting and fishing license revocation, 90 days in jail (to be served concurrent with his sentencing the same day for domestic battery), fines and penalties totaling $5,400 ($3,750 suspended), $1,338 in restitution to Idaho Fish and Game for expenses incurred during the investigation, and two years of unsupervised probation.

He also cannot possess any snakes or lizards for two years, and cannot be in the company of anyone with snakes or lizards. Further, he cannot aid/abet anyone with the selling, distribution or gathering of snakes and lizards. The lifetime hunting license revocation means Jones will be unable to collect reptiles from the wild for the remainder of his life.

Jack Coronado faced a slew of charges: 132 violations, including nine felonies. Those included taking/possessing 61 rubber boas without a valid hunting license, as well as possession of venomous snakes in unlocked/unlawful cages.

For his role in Operation Sneaky Snake, Coronado received a five-year hunting license suspension, 300 days in jail with all 300 suspended, fines and penalties totaling $845, two years of unsupervised probation, $500 in restitution to Fish and Game for costs incurred during the investigation, 60 hours of community service, and a prohibition against possessing any snakes or lizards for two years.

Jared Aicher faced 10 separate felony charges and 37 misdemeanor charges. Under a plea bargain agreement, he was ultimately charged with taking/possessing three snakes without a valid hunting license and importing four snakes into Idaho without proper permits. He received a one-year hunting license suspension, $430 in fines and $250 in restitution to Fish and Game for costs incurred during the investigation. An additional provision prohibits Aicher from possessing any snakes or lizards for one year.

Facing 21 misdemeanor charges, Craig Carpenter chose not to cooperate with investigators, despite being offered a plea agreement during early stages of the investigation.

He appeared in Ada County court on Oct. 31 and eventually agreed to a much less favorable plea agreement. For his role in Operation Sneaky Snake, Carpenter received a three-year hunting license suspension, two years of unsupervised probation, 80 hours of community service (which will include additional time spent with investigating officers), and $225 in civil penalties and restitution. An additional provision of his sentencing prohibits him from possessing any reptiles and amphibians for the next three years.

Sarah Kafel originally faced 127 violations, including 32 felonies for her role in Operation Sneaky Snake. Despite what was described as "a generous plea-bargain agreement," she failed to appear in Elmore County court for arraignment on two misdemeanor charges.

A warrant for her arrest has been issued, and because of her failure to appear, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering resurrecting at least some of the 32 felony charges against her for her role in Operation Sneaky Snake.

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  • I know where Sarah Kafel is residing, and on top of that she is still selling snakes. I personally think she should be arrested and charged with ALL of the charges since she decided to run and not take her plea bargain.

    -- Posted by Wednesday May on Fri, Oct 19, 2012, at 8:00 AM
  • Sorry miss May. This is inaccurate. The person you are referring to dealt with the issue. Selling snakes is not a crime. The issue that was faced was the location and species being regarded in that location. All cases have been closed. But thank you for your help.

    -- Posted by popweasel32 on Tue, Apr 5, 2016, at 11:57 AM
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