Texas Man Sentenced to Prison for Smuggling Over 100 Exotic Animals Across Border; Five-Year Operation Netted $120,000
A South Texas man who admitted to making more than 100 illegal trips transporting snakes, lizards, and endangered tortoises into Mexico was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, concluding a sprawling wildlife trafficking investigation that uncovered more than $580,000 in smuggled animals since 2020.
Sebastian Cruz-Amaya was sentenced on February 24, 2026, in the Southern District of Texas to two years of incarceration with no term of supervised release to follow. He pleaded guilty to smuggling goods from the United States in violation of Title 18, Section 554(a) of the U.S. Code.
According to court documents, Cruz-Amaya was stopped in October 2025 while attempting to cross from Texas into Mexico with a cache of exotic wildlife concealed inside his vehicle. Upon questioning by federal agents, Cruz-Amaya stated he was exporting the animals on behalf of an individual in Mexico and expected to be paid between $500 and $600 for the single shipment.
The investigation, however, revealed a far more extensive operation. Cruz-Amaya told investigators he had transported animals across the border for the same individual for approximately five years, estimating he had completed more than 100 separate trips. During that period, prosecutors said, Cruz-Amaya charged roughly $120,000 for his services, personally netting approximately $40,000 in profit.
A search of the defendant’s cell phone uncovered numerous communications and invoices detailing the receipt and export of wildlife. Inside Cruz-Amaya’s vehicle at the time of his arrest, authorities found an invoice dated October 21, 2025, from an Ohio-based company showing that 54 snakes had been shipped to a UPS store in McAllen, Texas, for delivery the following day.
The live cargo seized from the vehicle included more than 100 individual animals: dozens of snakes, lizards, frogs, spiders, centipedes, and one turtle. Wildlife inspectors identified several species protected under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, a treaty that regulates the trade of species that may become threatened with extinction. Agents also recovered an Indian Star Tortoise, a species listed under Appendix I—the highest level of protection under the treaty—which prohibits nearly all international commercial trade.
Following Cruz-Amaya’s arrest, investigators served subpoenas on various exotic animal vendors. The resulting paper trail showed that members of the conspiracy were responsible for the unlawful exportation of at least $580,000 worth of wildlife from Hidalgo County, Texas, to Mexico since 2020. In addition to the monetized animals, agents identified an additional 1,088 snakes with an undetermined market value that were trafficked across the border.
Former Texas Water Contractor Charged with Hacking Utility Control System, Threatening Public Water Supply
A former contractor for a South Texas water utility has been charged with breaching the facility’s computer control systems in an alleged cyberattack that federal prosecutors say threatened public health and caused at least $5,000 in damage.
Mark Anthony Cadena was charged on February 4, 2026, in the Western District of Texas with tampering with a public water system and violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The charges stem from an intrusion into the operational infrastructure of the Picosa Water Supply Corporation, a public utility serving communities southwest of San Antonio.
According to the charging documents, Cadena—who previously worked as a contractor for the water corporation—hacked into the utility’s well and pump control systems on February 2, 2025. Prosecutors allege Cadena intentionally accessed the protected computers without authorization and caused damage valued at a minimum of $5,000.
The charges are brought under Title 42, Section 300i-1 of the U.S. Code, which prohibits tampering with public water systems, and Title 18, Section 1030, which governs fraud and related activity in connection with computers. The Safe Drinking Water Act provision specifically criminalizes any action that threatens the safety of a public water system.
Federal authorities have not disclosed whether the intrusion disrupted water service to customers or if any contamination or safety incident resulted from the breach. However, the criminal information notes that Cadena’s actions “threatened public health and safety.”
Virginia Hauling Company and Owner Fined $300,000 for Dumping Grease Illegally to Dodge Disposal Fees
A Virginia grease and septic hauling company and its owner were each ordered to pay $150,000 fines and serve probation for orchestrating a two-year scheme to illegally discharge commercial kitchen waste at unauthorized locations to avoid paying required disposal fees.
Virginia Pump and Motor Company and its owner, Carroll Moon, were sentenced on February 18, 2026, in the Eastern District of Virginia after pleading guilty to violating the Clean Water Act. In addition to the combined $300,000 in fines, the defendants were ordered to pay $126,000 in restitution—jointly and severally—to the Hampton Roads Sanitation District for fees they evaded.
According to court documents, between 2022 and 2024, VPM serviced grease traps at customer locations using company trucks. Under federal pretreatment regulations and the terms of the company’s industrial discharge permit, VPM was legally required to transport the collected waste grease to designated receiving stations operated by the Hampton Roads Sanitation District’s publicly owned treatment works for proper disposal.
Prosecutors said Moon and the company instead directed drivers on at least 30 separate occasions to discharge the grease waste at non-designated locations. By bypassing the official disposal sites, the defendants avoided paying approximately $126,000 in fees that would have been owed for proper treatment and disposal.
The Clean Water Act violations fall under Title 33, Section 1319, which prohibits negligent discharge of pollutants and violations of pretreatment requirements, as well as Section 1342, which governs national pollutant discharge elimination system permits.
Both defendants will complete three-year terms of probation. As a special condition of his supervision, Moon will spend the first six months of the term in home confinement.
West Virginia Trucker Who Crashed While Drunk, Spilling 1,300 Gallons of Corrosive Chemical into Creek, Sentenced for Massive Fish Kill
A West Virginia truck driver whose intoxicated highway crash sent a wave of industrial cleaner into a Kanawha River tributary, wiping out nearly 33,500 fish, has been sentenced to probation and a $5,000 fine for violating the Clean Water Act.
Dennis West was sentenced on February 26, 2026, in the Southern District of West Virginia to a three-year term of probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. West and his now-defunct company, Gadsden, Gaillard, and West LLC, previously pleaded guilty to unlawfully discharging a pollutant into waters of the United States.
According to court documents, on August 24, 2022, West was operating a company tractor-trailer while under the influence of alcohol when he crashed on a highway. The truck was hauling twelve 275-gallon totes containing an industrial cleaning product with the active ingredient alkyl dimethylamine, a substance classified as both a corrosive material and a marine pollutant.
The crash ruptured the containers, spilling the chemical onto the roadway and into Paint Creek, a tributary that feeds the Kanawha River. Federal investigators estimated that approximately 1,300 gallons of the toxic substance entered the waterway.
The resulting contamination triggered a massive fish kill. Authorities documented the deaths of close to 33,500 fish along the affected stretch of the creek. Environmental remediation efforts required several months to restore the waterway.
A restitution order to cover the costs of the environmental cleanup and natural resource damages will be issued within 60 days, the court noted.
About the Author
