Review of law after smuggler jailed

DOC

SMUGGLERS JAILED: Two wildlife smugglers caught with endangered jewelled geckos in tubes were jailed today.

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Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson may overhaul wildlife laws after a German gecko smuggler was sentenced to 15 weeks jail and two other men admitted their roles in the smuggling operation.

The trio appeared in the Christchurch District Court.

Manfred Walter Bachmann, 55, an engineer, will be deported after his jail term.

Bachmann, who lives in Uganda, was found with 16 jewelled geckos in Christchurch last month.

Thomas Benjamin Price, 31, of Switzerland, pleaded guilty to possession of protected wildlife, while Mexican chef Gustavo Eduardo Toledo-Albarran, 28, admitted hunting the lizards.

Judge David Saunders said the pair were likely to face prison.

Wilkinson yesterday described the wildlife smuggling as "repugnant", saying it was a "crime against all New Zealanders".

"Obviously, the current level of fines and penalties is not a sufficient deterrent to stop it happening and I'm going to have a very good look at it," she said.

Wilkinson said she would also consider measures to ensure convicted gecko smugglers could not return to New Zealand.

Yesterday, Judge Jane Farish sentenced Bachmann to five and half months in prison before cutting the sentence to 15 weeks because of his guilty plea.

Defence counsel Glenn Henderson said Bachmann was "a bit of a dupe in the middle".

However, the judge disagreed.

She said the offending was premeditated and that Bachmann was too "mature" and "experienced" to be unknowingly caught up in the scheme.

Bachmann had said he was to pass on the geckos to a fourth party, who had not been apprehended.

The judge said Bachmann's offending was "clearly commercially motivated" as the 16 animals were valued at about $200,000 in Europe, and were an endangered species. "You went in with your eyes open and knowing you were entering into an illegal transaction," she said.

Price and Toledo-Albarran will remain in custody after admitting their part in the scheme. They will reappear on March 29.

Prosecutor Mike Bodie said Price was a flight risk who may have access to another passport.

The court was told Price arrived in Christchurch on February 5 before meeting Toledo-Albarran, who arrived on February 7.

The pair travelled to Dunedin, where Toledo-Albarran spent five days searching for the geckos on the Otago Peninsula.

The pair returned to Christchurch with 16 geckos, which were placed in plastic tubing with a breathing apparatus. The tubing was sealed with cottonwool and insulation tape for export in carry-on luggage.

The geckos were passed on to Bachmann on February 14, the day he arrived in New Zealand. He was arrested the same day.

Eleven of the geckos were female, with at least nine pregnant. One of the tubes contained three immature geckos.

Toledo-Albarran and Price were arrested the next day at Christchurch International Airport.

Judge Saunders said a short prison term or a major fine was likely for both men.

Outside court, Stuart Williamson, a senior investigator with the Department of Conservation, said the geckos would have been extremely stressed.

The department hopes to return the geckos to the Otago Peninsula.

- © Fairfax NZ News