Crackdown on Victoria’s illegal animal trade as offenders develop ‘more sophisticated’ tactics
Illegal traders in the murky world of Victoria’s exotic animal black market are being hunted down by authorities who are making startling and shocking finds in homes across the state.
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A crackdown on the wildlife black market has led to two of the largest fines ever issued under the state’s invasive species laws, as illegal traders cast wider nets and use more sophisticated schemes to try to escape the law.
Dozens of animals, both native and not, have been found stashed in Victorian homes and businesses, from crocodiles and pythons to hedgehogs and tortoises.
Since July 2023, six people have been prosecuted and two have received infringement notices with fines totalling $105,600 for their involvement in the exotic – that is, non-native – animal trade.
One offender was even slugged $54,000 in court, the highest figure ever applied under the 1994 act governing such crimes.
It is illegal to import, export, or trade wildlife in Victoria without permission.
The maximum penalty for doing so with exotic pest animals is a $95,000 fine, while unlawfully taking native wildlife can land someone in jail for two years or get them fined more than $47,000.
Popular exotic species include the African pygmy hedgehog, boa constrictors and ball pythons, whereas the most commonly traded native wildlife are native skinks, monitor lizards, dragons and, in particular, shingleback lizards and blue-tongue lizards.
Some of the scoundrels caught up in Victoria’s cagey creature commerce have recently come face-to-face with the law.
In September 2024, a Noble Park man was slugged with more than 500 charges relating to illegally importing or exporting wildlife, buying and selling protected wildlife, and breaching licence conditions.
Conservation Regulator officers seized dozens of native reptiles from the “syndicate linchpin”, including shingleback lizards, blue-tongued lizard, and geckos.
In Ballarat in March this year, concreter Shayne Goldsmith was busted with a pair of South American boa constrictors at his home and a saltwater crocodile in his freezer while he traded in restricted animals as the head of a Facebook chat called ‘Rep Kings’.
Two live South American boa constrictors – one 2.6m and the other 1.9m – were found in enclosures in a spare bedroom cupboard at Goldsmith’s house, and he was caught quoting $1500 for an African male hognose snake.
In early April, the Conservation Regulator seized a large number of living and dead animals – native and exotic – from a business in Kyneton.
Then on April 8, 28-year-old Point Cook man and Chinese citizen Qinyu Han faced court after being busted trying to export three shingleback lizards stuffed in socks and disguised as plastic figurines, Tim Tams, popcorn and potato chips.
The cases coincided with an investigation codenamed Operation DJANGO by Agriculture Victoria, the Conservation Regulator, and Crime Stoppers into what is the fourth-largest type of organised crime in the world, worth $450bn a year.
As part of it, authorities seized eight African pygmy hedgehogs, two boa constrictors, one ball python, one sulcata tortoise, one green iguana, two Indian star tortoises, and one Chaco tortoise.
Project manager Adam Kay said illegal animal traders were getting “more sophisticated” and were dealing with an increasing number and variety of species.
“We are cracking down on this illegal trade that puts a serious risk to native wildlife and often causes severe cruelty to animals,” he said.
“When smuggled into Victoria without proper quarantine, exotic animals can carry diseases that may spread to local wildlife, pets, and even humans.”
Operation DJANGO also uncovered the illegal trading of native animals such as the saltwater crocodile, freshwater crocodile, green tree snake, olive python, and Darwin carpet python.
Another investigation by the Conservation Regulator called Operation Pike resulted in four people being dragged to court on a range of charges.
Chief Conservation Regulator Kate Gavens recommended reporting suspicious behaviour about wildlife to Crime Stoppers.
“Our wildlife laws and permit systems protect the welfare of native animals and we will not tolerate any exploitation of these processes for the illegal trade of wildlife,” she said.
In Victoria, there are also four locations – two animal clinics and two RSPCA facilities – where such species can be dropped off with no questions asked.
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