A couple in the Rio Grande Valley was arrested Tuesday after they allegedly sold a margay cub and attempted to sell a jaguar cub, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced Wednesday.
Rafeal Gutierrez-Galvan, 29, and Deyanira Garza, 28, made their initial appearances in federal court on Wednesday in connection with charges related to selling and attempting to sell “protected wildlife.” The case is the first filed under The Big Cat Act, which was enacted in December of 2022.
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Gutierrez-Galvan allegedly sold a margay cub on Aug. 24 for $7,500 at a parking lot outside an Academy Sports and Outdoors location, according to the criminal complaint.
On Sept. 26, Gutierrez-Galvan allegedly attempted to sell a jaguar cub to the same individual. According to the criminal complaint, he instructed his wife to bring a case of cash from their residence to the location. However, Garza was stopped by law enforcement while enroute. During the traffic stop, officers discovered the case of cash.
Authorities ultimately recovered both animals through the course of the investigation.
Officials said the pair did not possess license to buy, sell, trade or transport exotic animals such as margays and jaguars. If convicted, each could face up to five years in federal prison and a possible $20,000 maximum fine.
The Big Cat Act was enacted to end the private ownership of big cats as pets and prohibit exhibitors from allowing public contact with big cats, including cubs, and prohibits the importation, transportation, sale and possession of prohibited wildlife species, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Endangered Species Act also prohibits the importation, exportation, sale and transportation of threatened and endangered species, including jaguars.
Fish and Wildlife Service and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Houston and San Antonio Zoos. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devin V. Walker is prosecuting the case.