Not sure how this would affect the hobby unless these guys were major coral dealers of some rare stuff? At the end of the day, a few guys are going to get put away due to their own greed. Smuggling drugs, smuggling corals, all comes down to greed.
Coral Smuggling
- Thread starter m0nkie
- Start date
Not sure how this would affect the hobby unless these guys were major coral dealers of some rare stuff? At the end of the day, a few guys are going to get put away due to their own greed. Smuggling drugs, smuggling corals, all comes down to greed.
mannyhernz
Member
I dont mean by them not bringing in corals..i meant put a giant magnifying glass on all importers..
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pciscott
Pirates Cove Reef
I would like to know where the story came from, because one of the guys they are talking about has been in Australia for a couple years. Anyway I suspect the writer does not have his facts strait. I will vouch for Jorge, great guy who is always first to help when someone has a problem, good SCMAS member, and great friend. He is a hobbyist who has sold a few corals he has grown in his garage(Maybe a side business, but he is not a importer or ever had anything to do with Cites.)
If I take corals I grow out of my tank to give to a friend in Mexico, is that smuggling? Do we need to have Cites to trade corals?
I brought a Parrot home from Baja when I was 16, guess you can label me as a smuggler too, I did not do it for greed, more stupidity. I also brought my kids home a dog from Mexico, Baja is the best dog I have ever had and I smuggled him home too.
Scott the Smuggler, sounds way more Dangerous than Scott the Reefkeeper
Anyways for those wondering Jorge is good, except for being a little upset at a writer who maybe should have fact checked a story before he printed it. Slander or Libel?
If I take corals I grow out of my tank to give to a friend in Mexico, is that smuggling? Do we need to have Cites to trade corals?
I brought a Parrot home from Baja when I was 16, guess you can label me as a smuggler too, I did not do it for greed, more stupidity. I also brought my kids home a dog from Mexico, Baja is the best dog I have ever had and I smuggled him home too.
Scott the Smuggler, sounds way more Dangerous than Scott the Reefkeeper
Anyways for those wondering Jorge is good, except for being a little upset at a writer who maybe should have fact checked a story before he printed it. Slander or Libel?
CoralsAddiction
Active member
Here, read the official release from DOJ:
https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/p...three-schemes-smuggle-protected-coral-species
dodgerblew
Team RC
I guess when you’re at RAP and pass the Reefers Cove booth with Jorge in charge of it everybody will realize that there’s more then one Jorge Vasquez. I would’ve taken Jorge as more of a Fritos kind of guy
dodgerblew
Team RC
It’ll be interesting because isn’t Jake Adams one of the speakers?
CoralsAddiction
Active member
And? He isn’t the only one reporting the story. It’s been published in LA Times and the official DOJ release I posted earlier.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-pringles-smuggling-20170927-story.html
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WayneL333
New member
I feel sorry for the poor mother who got caught. Can you imagine her reaction when customs opened the canS?!! You know the feds will use her as a bargaining chip too.
Regardless, stories like these are a serious black eye on our passion and will be used against us like in states like Hawaii...
Regardless, stories like these are a serious black eye on our passion and will be used against us like in states like Hawaii...
Daltonbilecki
Member
So glad hawaii is a state lol bringing back soft corals was a breeze.
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I'd delete this post if I were you.
Daltonbilecki
Member
Coral Smuggling
Its legal, i got a permit and only hard corals arent allowed to be collected. Why would I delete it?
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Its legal, i got a permit and only hard corals arent allowed to be collected. Why would I delete it?
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dodgerblew
Team RC
And what? My point is who is this Jorge Vazquez? If it's not the Jorge people are thinking it might be, then he's being unjustly singled out. The LA Times or the DOJ aren't attending RAP but another reporter is. If it's not the Jorge some people think I can see him being a bit ticked at the reporter. Maybe there should have been more responsible reporting by realizing there might be an innocent Jorge being singled out who has a good business within the reefing community and figure out who's who prior to release. I don't know, maybe it's just me and my views. Bottom line is whoever or which Vasquez this is didn't help our hobby, especially with this Hawaii situation
I brought a Parrot home from Baja when I was 16, guess you can label me as a smuggler too, I did not do it for greed, more stupidity. I also brought my kids home a dog from Mexico, Baja is the best dog I have ever had and I smuggled him home too.
Scott the Smuggler, sounds way more Dangerous than Scott the Reefkeeper
Dangerous place that Reefer's Cove!
CoralsAddiction
Active member
Who is singling out a specific Jorge? All three articles just mention a statement of fact...a person arrested: name, age and residence. The article posted by OP is singling out Jorge Vasquez based on the fact he put what is by legal definition considered a "contraband" into his mother's luggage. As to whether or not that Jorge belongs to a particular club or reefing community is not even raised.
If your name is John Smith and another John Smith gets indicted for contaminating a local water source, should we automatically assume it's you?
Libel, Slander? No way people.
CoralsAddiction
Active member
I think the confusion stems from some hobbyists assuming one Jorge mentioned in the article is THE Jorge everyone is thinking about without there being any specifics other than the circumstances of the arrest . I personally don't know who is everyone referring to but that seems to be the inference by some...erroneous or not time will tell.
pga7602
Well-known member
Yes, I think most know about this, just entertaining to see all these people all worked up over trying to cover it up :wavehand:
Silence from them now... :lmao:
WayneL333
New member
I don't think they were trying to cover anything up. They were just taking a friend's word and supporting him like any good friends would. You can't blame them for giving their friend the benefit of the doubt.
