US authorities have made a one-of-a-kind seizure by entrapping a Joliette exotic animal bone trafficker who was recently fined $40,000 for selling polar bear skulls to an undercover agent.

“I have never shipped anything to the United States with bad intention, I support animal protection 100% and I have never hunted myself”, apologizes Vanessa Rondeau in a letter to the American judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.

The 27-year-old woman was however the target of a major sting operation in the United States, in order to catch her in the act of illegal export.

A man bought polar bear skulls from her twice, in 2020 and 2021, by contacting her on Facebook. The client was actually an undercover agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“This case was unique because it involved polar bear skulls, which we do not often see entering the United States”, comments the American prosecutor in the file Aaron J. Mango in a telephone interview with Le Journal.

Rondeau, owner of The Old Cavern antiques and taxidermy shop in Montreal, pleaded guilty last January to trafficking protected wildlife species in the United States.

She was later sentenced in June to one year of probation and fined US$40,000, in addition to US$1,364 in restitution.

She had also spent two days behind bars in a Vermont prison when she was arrested in May 2021.

Multiple Charges

Rondeau was then charged in May 2021 with trafficking protected wildlife, mislabeling wildlife and smuggling goods into the United States.

“We are not educated enough in Canada about the laws related to wildlife protection and import-export,” defends the artist in an interview with Le Journal.

However, according to the US prosecutor, Rondeau admitted to the undercover agent that she knew "that the import/transportation of the polar bear skulls would be in violation of US law", can we read in the court documents.

The polar bear is on the US Endangered Species List.

Send a message

Several other endangered species, including tigers, hippos, grizzly bears and alligators, had also been sold in the United States by the trafficker, despite the restrictions.

“With a few days in jail and a substantial fine, it sends the message [to Canadians] that you cannot engage in this type of conduct,” said US Attorney Aaron J. Mango.

Importation

When Vanessa Rondeau was arrested trying to drive home, her car contained a number of prohibited items, including crocodile feet, a stuffed sloth and shark jaws, with a total value of $37,204 US.

Rondeau is said to have smuggled pieces of taxidermy into Canada in the past, with officers filming her recovering packages suspected of containing wild animals.

She then removed the items from their original cardboard box to bury them in shopping bags, before returning home.

In an interview with Le Journal, the mother of two says she gets her pieces through estate sales, Canadian zoos, Inuit communities and imports from South Africa.

“Poachers, wildlife smugglers and wildlife dealers such as the defendant operate around the world. Their criminal acts harm communities, degrade our legitimate institutions and destabilize our environment,” argues Me Mango in his pre-sentence brief.

Furthermore, the global illegal wildlife trade was estimated to be between US$7 billion and US$23 billion in 2020, amounts comparable to the international trade in narcotics and arms.

-With the collaboration of Nicolas Brasseur, Office of Investigation

SEIZED BY THE AUTHORITIES

By car

In January 2020, Vanessa Rondeau drove through customs in Champlain, New York, with a polar bear skull destined for the American undercover agent.

She then went to a shipping warehouse near the border offering logistics services to her customers, including post office boxes and warehousing. She then posted the package there via UPS.

Selling price: US$780

By mail

In February 2021, Vanessa Rondeau sold a second skull to the undercover agent. She sent it directly via Canada Post to the United States, indicating that the package contained "1 frame" and that it was a gift. The amount declared was US$100.

"Smugglers believe that law enforcement examines commercial packages more than packages sent for personal reasons," said agent Ryan Bessey, who participated in the operation, in his complaint.

According to US customs data, Rondeau sent 30 packages via Canada Post to the United States between November 27, 2018 and September 16, 2019.

She then declared that there was inside, rather than a wild animal, a frame, a large toy, a statue or a carpet, for example.

Selling price: US$584.11