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Men Accused Of Smuggling Endangered Dragon Fish

Long Island Pair Stopped Near Canadian Border With 4 Live Arowana Fish In Car; Fines Of $250,000 Per Fish Possible

Asian Arowanas Thought To Have Special Cultural Significance

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (CBS) ― Two Long Island men coming back into the country from Canada were carrying a little more than they were supposed to. United States Customs and Border Protection officials say the men had tried to hide four Asian Arowana fish, or dragon fish, in the spare tire well of the car as they came back into the country on Saturday in upstate New York.

The fish are covered under the Endangered Species Act and people need a permit to own them. They can sell for thousands of dollars on the black market and are thought to possess special cultural signficance.

At Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead, everyone from schoolchildren to the aquarium's curator, were discussing the startling upstate smuggling bust.

"There's a lot of mystery behind these fish besides them being a truly beautiful fish," curator Joseph Yaiullo said.

When asked if these fish sell for as much as $10,000 on the black market, Yaiullo said, "Yes, the demand is there. Red ones can ward off evil spirits from your home. Gold ones, you might have some luck with wealth."

Knowing their value, Border Patrol Agents moved in for the bust, lifting the car trunk of the two men from Ronkonkoma and Middle Island and there, concealed in their spare tire well, were four live Asian dragon fish that can grow to be 3 feet long.

So rare and endangered are these fish, they cannot be possessed without a permit. United States Fish and Wildlife Service agents were called in.

"Smuggling wildlife, especially live wildlife into the U.S. can bring in diseases and other pathogens," Fish and Wildlife Special Agent Thomas Healy said.

Fish lovers who spoke to CBS 2 HD weren't too happy with the sneaky duo.

"I feel it's really wrong because the fish should be kept in their natural habitat," Southampton student Meggie Gallo said. "I know they want to make money, but it is the wrong way to do it."

A dragon fish is supposed to bring good fortune, but smuggling them is bad luck -- a penalty of $250,000 per fish and five years in prison. That should serve as a warning to black market buyers or sellers.

The two men charged with smuggling, Robert Battaglia of Ronkonkoma, and Richard Feustal of Middle Island, pleaded not guilty in a Buffalo courtroom.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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