N.J. man sentenced to jail for illegal narwhal tusk imports

Andrew J. Zarauskas, a New Jersey resident, has been sentenced to 33 months in jail for illegally importing narwhal tusks and money laundering.    The U.S. Justice Department said Andrew J. Zarauskas, a New Jersey resident, has been sentenced to 33 months in jail for illegally importing and trafficking in narwhal tusks and money laundering.
   Zarauskas was also ordered to forfeit $85,089, six narwhal tusks and one narwhal skull. In addition, he must pay a fine of $7,500. His prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release, DOJ said.
   On Feb. 14, 2014, a federal jury in Bangor, Maine, convicted Zarauskas on six counts, including conspiracy, smuggling violations for buying and illegally importing narwhal tusks into the United States and money laundering violations associated with the illegal importations. The market value of the teeth and tusks was determined to be between $120,000 and $200,000.
   Narwhals are listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act and are covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). It is illegal to import parts of the narwhal into the United States without a permit.