Page 44 - 2021 JAN/FEB Outdoor Oklahoma Magazine

It was the major link that was desperately needed to shut the feds. Gomez contacted Bryant and shared the details
down a nationwide organized-crime operation. recovered at the motel.
In previous years, these Arkansas men had encoun- Bryant and his federal team would take over the case,
tered Game Wardens in other states under similar cir- working closely with excellent prosecution from the U.S.
cumstances, but they had been lucky enough to escape Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma. A
with only state citations resulting in minor fines. The pri- passionate prosecutor for wildlife violations, Assistant U.S.
mary suspect stated he knew this was probably going to Attorney Ryan Roberts served as a critical piece of the puz-
happen someday. He likely knew that when animals, ship- zle all too often missing in wildlife cases. Agents only had a
ping documents, vehicles, and supplies were all seized, few days to arrange a transaction using this new information
photographs taken, and cash counted, this time was leading to the suspected kingpin buyer in New Jersey, and
going to be different. they had to move quickly to not arouse suspicion. Game
As it turned out, the primary suspect had just shipped a Warden Bailey handled state charges in Creek County and
load of turtles a day prior to his arrest that netted him more supervised local cash transactions between the Arkansas
than $4,000. But at that moment, his freedom, vehicles, middleman and his New Jersey buyer.
and some very big fines would hinge on cooperation with Then, there was the minor detail of housing and feed-
ing 200 freshly seized turtles. They’d have to be kept
healthy for days to come, waiting and ready to go “for
karliN Bailey/oDWC when duty called.”
Law enforcement families are familiar with sacrifice;
Game Wardens are equally supported by their families.
Sometimes that means long hours apart or holding dead
evidence in the family freezer. And sometimes it involves
rescuing an orphaned or injured critter.
Gomez’s wife and daughter saw the need in this case.
After an online search, they reached out to the local grocer
for outdated produce. They found themselves turtle-sitting
several days for a very rambunctious bunch of terrapins that
had gained new energy after being served up a fruit and
vegetable buffet on the family’s confined back patio.
A plan involving multiple agencies and states was coordinat-
ed. It included Game Wardens from the New Jersey Division
of Fish and Wildlife, who assisted with surveillance and search
USFWS

karliN Bailey/oDWC

A surveillance photo shows a box of turtles being picked up at a delivery
office. Standard shipping boxes containing “undercover turtles” were
Overseen by Game Warden Karlin Bailey, monetary transactions between conspicuously marked so federal and New Jersey surveillance agents
a turtle trafficker in Oklahoma and his New Jersey buyer were monitored could readily identify them and the recipients, who would then be
and collected as evidence. tracked and identified.

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