Jay Conrad, of Lakeland, Tenn., pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to illegally importing narwhal tusks and related crimes, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.
A plea agreement was also unsealed Tuesday in which Eddie Dunn, of Eads, Tenn., pleaded guilty to conspiring to illegally traffic narwhal tusks.
A narwhal is a medium-sized whale with a long tusk that projects from its upper left jaw. Narwhals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
According to the plea agreements, Dunn and Conrad, starting in 2003, partnered to buy more than 100 narwhal tusks from a Canadian resident whom they knew had illegally imported the tusks from Canada into Maine. After receiving the tusks in Tennessee, Dunn and Conrad marketed and sold them using a combination of eBay sales and direct sales to buyers and collectors of ivory.
Justice reported that Dunn sold about $1.1 million worth of narwhal tusks, and Conrad sold between $400,000 and $1 million worth of narwhal tusks.
Dunn faces a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a fine of $250,000. The maximum penalty Conrad faces is 20 years in jail and a fine of $250,000.
Men plead guilty to trafficking narwhal tusks
