Reptile Dealer Sentenced In GA For Trafficking Venomous Snakes

GEORGIA — A reptile dealer is headed to prison after authorities said he trafficked turtles and venomous snakes from his home in Georgia.

A judge recently sentenced Ashtyn Michael Rance, 35, who is originally from Florida, to 33 months in prison. He also received a $4,300 fine and will serve three years of post-release supervision.

Rance pleaded guilty on Nov. 18, 2021, to unlawfully possessing firearms and violating the Lacey Act, which is the nation’s oldest wildlife trafficking statute and prohibits transporting wildlife in interstate commerce if the wildlife is illegal under state laws.

In pleading guilty, prosecutors said Rance admitted that on Feb. 22, 2018, he shipped three eastern box turtles and 16 spotted turtles from Valdosta to a customer in Florida, in a package falsely labeled as containing tropical fish and common lizards. He was paid $3,300 for the turtles and knew they were being subsequently trafficked to China.

Prosecutors also said he admitted that on May 10, 2018, he shipped 15 Gaboon vipers from Valdosta to Florida. The snakes were worth approximately $900 and also headed to a buyer in China. He falsely labeled the package as containing harmless reptiles and ball pythons.

Rance had legally imported 100 Gaboon vipers and other venomous snakes from Africa to Atlanta, authorities said. He received a special permit to transport the snakes out of Georgia, but he later returned to Valdosta with 16 vipers. Their venom can cause shock, loss of consciousness or death in humans.

In addition, authorities said Rance acknowledged that he possessed a Bushmaster Carbine .223 caliber rifle and Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun in his Valdosta home that he was prohibited from owning as a convicted felon.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement in Vero Beach, Florida, ATF and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources conducted the investigation as part of Southern Surge Task Force’s "Operation Middleman." The operation focused on the trafficking of reptiles from the United States to China.