Three Alaskans accused of trafficking in walrus tusks

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Three Alaskans accused of trafficking in walrus tusks
By Yereth Rosen Yereth Rosen – Thu Apr 28, 10:11 pm ET

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) – Three Alaskans have been indicted on charges of trafficking in hundreds of pounds of walrus tusks taken from a remote Eskimo village in exchange for such items as cash, guns and marijuana, prosecutors said on Thursday.

The case against the three individuals, which also includes accusations of illegal sales of walrus bones and polar bear hides, marks Alaska's biggest case of illegal trafficking in wildlife contraband in years, said Yvonne Lamoureux, an assistant U.S. attorney.

Jesse Leboeuf and Loretta Sternbach, both of Glennallen, Alaska, and Richard Weshenfelder of Anchorage pleaded not guilty on Thursday. They were arrested earlier this week.

The indictment, unsealed on Wednesday, said they began trading last summer for the animal parts from Savoonga, an impoverished Yupik Eskimo village on a remote Bering Strait island.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110429/us_nm/us_alaska_wildlife

[HolyCity2012]

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[dipsydoodle]

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wondermonkey/2011/04/unnatural-selection-what-is-ki.shtml

[Arctic Dave]

3. Life without parole. nt