State conservation officers today announced the conclusion of Michigan's largest investigation into the illegal trade of protected Michigan reptiles that began in 2001.

Joel Roggelin, of Toledo, Ohio, pleaded no contest to 18 counts of the illegal purchase of protected species in the 23rd District Court in Taylor in December. Roggelin was fined $8,750 and placed on probation for two years.

A total of 14 individuals, who were charged following a two-year undercover operation, either pleaded guilty or no contest to their charges, and collectively were fined more than $58,000.

In June 2001, based upon information received from several sources, the DNR's Wildlife Resource Protection Section "Special Investigation Unit" initiated the covert investigation, which focused upon endangered, threatened or other reptiles at risk and the dealers who exploit them.

An undercover detective spent two years infiltrating this close-knit group of dealers, eventually participating in numerous reptile transactions with dealers who often resold the animals for an instant profit. Simultaneously the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources initiated similar investigations, which proved beneficial in bringing charges against the suspects.

Operation Slither, as it was known in Michigan, was concluded in June 2003, when the DNR and the state Attorney General's office executed eight search warrants at various locations around southern Michigan, and ultimately charged 14 people with more than 400 counts of misdemeanor illegal sale or purchase of protected reptiles. It was the largest enforcement action of this kind in history.

Included in this takedown were charges of manufacture of narcotics and a felony firearm violation. Two subjects are headed to federal prison as a result of this investigation. The following individuals were convicted in Michigan:
 

"This enforcement action demonstrates the continued vulnerability of nongame wildlife species to illegal take," said DNR Law Enforcement Division Chief Alan Marble. "It further underscores the role that conservation law enforcement plays in reducing that vulnerability and sends a strong message to individuals who would plunder Michigan's protected resources for profit."

Any person who has information concerning the illegal trade in protected wildlife is encouraged to call the DNR's Report all Poaching Hotline at (800) 292-7800.