Butterfly black market bust

Type “butterfly” into Etsy, and a kaleidoscope of color flutters across the screen. Delicate wings captured in art, jewelry and vibrant décor sell for $5 to over $50. Pinned behind glass, real butterflies sit motionless in display boxes, sold by the dozens as decorative curiosities. But it’s the murky underworld behind the beauty that recently drew federal attention, as authorities charged a butterfly smuggler who trafficked rare and endangered species and sold them on eBay, Etsy and other online marketplaces. Charles Limmer pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle wildlife. He had directed overseas conspirators to falsely label imported insect and butterfly shipments as decorative wall coverings, origami paper craft and wall decorations to smuggle them into the country. The species involved included 2,400 endangered butterflies from the Solomon Islands protected under CITES, an international treaty regulating trade in endangered species. In a press release, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced that Limmer was sentenced to two years of home confinement and a $5,500 fine. He forfeited 17,000 butterflies valued at more than $200,000.

Read more at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.