‘Lizard King’ charged with smuggling Florida turtles to China, Japan

Michael Van Nostrand, his company, Strictly Reptiles, established network of ‘collectors’ who searched the Florida wilds for certain freshwater turtle specimens

He faces up to five years in prison a fine of at least US$250,000 if convicted

1-MIN READ1-MIN

In Asia, the turtles are used for meat and as ingredients in traditional medicine. File photo: Getty Images/AFP

Published: 9:41pm, 6 Oct 2021Updated: 2:30am, 7 Oct 2021

A convicted wildlife smuggler who still operates as a leading buyer and seller of reptiles has been accused by federal prosecutors of scheming to smuggle illegally harvested Florida turtles to China, Japan and other places.

Michael Van Nostrand, his company, Strictly Reptiles Inc. of Davie, Florida, established network of “collectors” who searched the Florida wilds for certain freshwater turtle specimens, including the three-stripe mud turtle, the US Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

The collectors and Van Nostrand then falsely labelled the turtles as having been bred in captivity, rather than caught in the wild, according to court documents.

Van Nostrand, 54, made his first appearance in federal magistrate court in Miami on Tuesday in the turtle-smuggling case, which was investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

He’s charged with conspiring with others to illegally traffic wildlife and faces up to five years in prison a fine of at least US$250,000 if convicted. His company faces a fine of at least US$500,000.