Justice. Rare birds sold under the cloak: time of trial

Fameck, fall 2017. Reading classified ads published on resale sites between individuals, the gendarmes trace the thread of a unique traffic: that of rare and protected birds. Elegant goldfinches, in this case.

Its instigator, a Fameckois in his forties, bought the subjects on the black market, in Moselle or in the Maghreb, and sold them under the cloak. By taking a nice margin, just as illegal as its juicy business since it was not declared.

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Money as a motivation

During his police custody, the man admitted to having raised and made reproduce the birds for nearly two years. Money would have been his only motivation. He would have explained to have put his finger in this gear after going through a bad financial past.

The illegal activity was stopped after a raid by the gendarmerie and officers from the hunting and wildlife office. At the time, 80 birds had been seized and entrusted to the Lorraine wildlife conservation center.

The Thionville criminal court has just tried this man and sentenced him to a 9-month suspended prison sentence, a € 2,000 fine and a ban on reselling animals for five years.

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