California man pleads guilty to smuggling 1,700 animals

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California man who smuggled more than 1,700 wild animals into the United States, including 60 reptiles hidden in his clothing, has pleaded guilty to federal charges. Jose Manuel Perez of Oxnard entered pleas Wednesday and could face up to 20 years in prison when he’s sentenced. Prosecutors say that beginning in 2016, Perez and accomplices smuggled animals from Mexico and Hong Kong into the U.S., driving them across the border from Mexico and shipping them to his family’s Ventura County home for sale across the country. Perez was arrested in February while trying to enter the U.S. with 60 reptiles hidden in bags of his clothing. Three of the reptiles died.