Canadian Man Guilty of Smuggling Live Rock With Corals

Jason Daeninck attempted to smuggle 20,000 pounds of scleretinia rock which contained live corals.

December 12, 2011

The Vancouver Sun is reporting that Jason Daeninck, owner of Saltwater Connections, has been found guilty of smuggling internationally protected live rock with corals from Indonesia into Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada. Daeninck was found guilty of 18 charges under Canada's Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act, which prohibits the importation of any animals and plants that are on the CITES control list, cannot be possessed in the country of origin, are of Canadian origin and are regulated by Canadian law, or could pose a threat to Canada's ecosystem.

Daeninck was arrested in 2007 after Canadian customs agents seized approximately 20,000 pounds of scleretinia rock in British Columbia. This rock can only be imported or exported with an international permit, which Daeninck apparently did not have. A search warrant of the man's home and business yielded paperwork for illegal species, including sea horses and giant clams that officials believe were sold on the black market. At trial, Daeninck apparently claimed he was building a fence like one he saw in Indonesia but was shipped the wrong type of rock and was not responsible for the shipment of scleretinia. The judge however disagreed based on the evidence that Daeninck created duplicate sets of invoices in an effort to dupe customs agents regarding the shipments. Daeninck is scheduled to be sentenced next year. He faces potential fines of up to $1 million and jail time.