Two Men Sentenced in Intentional Concealment Case in Louisiana Plaquemines Parish

On Nov. 29, 2012 two men pleaded guilty to commercial fishing violations in the 25th Judicial District of Plaquemines Parish.

Rick Nguyen, 37, of Buras, and Hung Anh Tiet, 29, of Dallas, Texas, both pleaded guilty to the intentional concealment of illegal fish.

Judge Kevin Conner ordered both men to pay a fine of $950 plus courts costs.  In addition, both Nguyen and Tiet had there set line licenses and state shark permits revoked for life.  Both men are also forbidden to involve themselves in any way in the shark industry for a period of two years.

This conviction was a result of a joint enforcement patrol with Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division agents and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Law Enforcement on April 8, 2012.

LDWF agents made contact with Nguyen and Tiet while responding to an anonymous complaint from offshore recreational fishermen of over the commercial daily limit of sharks.  Agents stopped the vessel “Lady Lyanna” in Tiger Pass located in Venice.

Upon immediate inspection of the vessel, agents found whole sharks located on the deck.  After further investigation, agents found a hidden compartment in the bow of the vessel that contained 12 large sacks of shark fins.  The bodies of the sharks belonging to the fins were not on the vessel.

Shark “finning” is an illegal practice of removing the shark’s fins, which are the most profitable part of the shark, and then discarding the rest of the shark’s body overboard.

The two men were in possession of 2,073 individual shark fins and 11 whole sharks. The 2,073 individual fins represent a total of 518 sharks bringing the total number of sharks possessed to 529.  The daily commercial limit for sharks in Louisiana is 33 per vessel placing the two men 496 sharks over their daily limit.

Federal prosecution is still pending by the NOAA General Counsel Office for the over limit and shark finning allegations.

Assistant District Attorney Jerry Lobrano prosecuted the case.

Agents participating in the case and prosecution were Sgt. Adam Young and Senior Agent Villere Reggio.

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.