Snakehead smuggler prosecuted

A supermarket owner from Los Angeles' Korea town area has been sentenced to three years probation for illegally importing banned snakeheads into the USA.

As Practical Fishkeeping reported in May 2004 Sung Chul "Daniel" Rhee was arrested at his Assi supermarket where agents accused him of selling the banned fishes for food.

According to Xinhua, Rhee pleaded guilty to the offence in October, and was given three years probation and ordered to pay a $200,000 fine.

The introduction of non-native snakeheads into US waters has caused serious problems but it is normally the fishkeeping community that gets the blame.

The authorities believe that Rhee may have imported $23,000 worth of snakheads between 2002 and early 2003.

One of the conditions of his plea agreement was that he also place advertisements in Korean papers to warn that importing snakeheads is illegal and he asked consumers not to order it.