Case library · Busted!
Eighty Pounds of Roe
United States v. Babenko (2015)
Charge: Paddlefish caviar traffickingCourt: U.S. District Court, W.D. MissouriState: MissouriDocket: Busted!
Does buying and moving paddlefish roe without a dealer permit amount to unlawful trafficking in wildlife?
The facts
Paddlefish are snagged from inland water in spring and their eggs sell as caviar. State law bans buying or selling eggs once they are out of the carcass, and bans moving them. In one spring the Defendant and another man made repeated buys, including eighty pounds of eggs and five female fish for $4,625, processed the roe and drove it to another state. The sellers were undercover officers.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: United States v. Babenko (W.D. Mo. 2015)
Read more at justice.gov. The source reveals the outcome.