Detroit men accused of selling predatory fish

[Ron]

http://www.freep.com/article/20120606/NEWS01/206060336/Metro-Detroit-men-accused-of-selling-predatory-fish?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

A walking catfish. A confidential informant. And two men looking to make a buck.

Those are the makings of a fishy criminal case unraveling in federal court in Detroit, where two local men are charged with selling walking catfish and snakehead fish -- both considered top-level predators that have no natural enemies outside their environment.

Not only can these slimy predators breathe air, environmentalists say, but they can survive on land for up to four days -- provided they are wet -- and can scoot a quarter-mile on wet land to other bodies of water by wriggling with their body and fins.

The walking fish gets the name from its ability to move from one water body to another during wet seasons.

According to a criminal complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court, a covert operation involving the predatory fish led to charges against Daniel Thacker of Wayne and Ash Khatib of Dearborn Heights.

According to the complaint, the men were charged following a two-year investigation involving a confidential informant who bought two walking catfish from a pet store in Dearborn, where Khatib worked as a manager.

Khatib, 39, told the Free Press on Tuesday that he had no idea walking catfish were an invasive species and selling them is illegal.

"It was just like a stupid mistake. We should have disposed of them ... but most of them died in transit," said Khatib, who is now unemployed. "It's not like I was trying to make a killing on it. It was a mistake."

Thacker could not be reached for comment.

According to court records, the informant bought two walking catfish in 2009 for $14 each from the Pet Station store in Dearborn. The next year, an undercover agent with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service went to the pet shop and learned a walking catfish was there, priced at $79.99.

The agent later asked for a snakehead, and Khatib said "selling snakehead fish was like selling drugs because it was illegal," records state. But the agent persisted and was introduced to Thacker, who took the agent to his Wayne home, where he had about 100 snakehead fish in two aquariums and a small plastic swimming pool, records say. The agent bought one snakehead fish from Thacker for $100, according to records.

The agent learned the fish were imported in July 2009 for a customer referred to as "DEARBN" from a shipper in Jakarta, Indonesia, to an Ohio fish importer.

Authorities discovered a shipping company called Coral Fish Center routinely imported live tropical fish for local pet stores, including Pet Station, which was referred to as "DEARBN" in import records.

Per court records, Thacker cooperated with authorities and said he was getting the snakehead fish from Khatib, who was getting them from a fish importer in Sylvania, Ohio. Thacker said the fish were smuggled into the U.S., and he made less than $5,000 selling them, per court records.

If convicted, the men face up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

The Pet Station store, which closed amid the investigation, is now under new ownership and is called Tailfins.

[JeffroM]

I'm glad they where caught!!!

Dan Thacker was 'Tiny' on Mitten State.  Very interesting story.  Thanks for posting Ron.

[Marty]

In the words of Bugs Bunny, "What a maroon!"

[Ron]

Dan Thacker was 'Tiny' on Mitten State.

I had an "Oh yeah" moment after reading that. I'd forgotten and didn't realize this article hits closer to home than initially thought.

[Super Turtleman]

What was Tiny's full screen name? Can't seem to remember it atm.

[Marty]

Tiny28

[fantasticfins]

 

[Regalblue]

Lol, I knew that was coming. 

[Arturtle]

I heard the redlines were going for $100 a piece, funny how things turn out.

[Regalblue]

I heard the redlines were going for $100 a piece, funny how things turn out.

yep

Here's another guy with another species
 http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/viewart/20120605/NEWS01/306050047/Man-charged-selling-Asian-carp-Michigan?odyssey=tab|topnews|img|FRONTPAGE

[danielratti]

I had DNR come check us out too as all this was going on since we sell pond fish as well. All the koi checked out good they said the tadpoles were questionable but they were only joking. They were not joking about that guy in selling the fish in Midland I guess whatever you have to do to make a buck.

[JeffroM]

LMAO.  Why oh why would you be smiling over this?  LOL.

[gmaschke]

I remember someone being banned on Mittenstatecichlids for trying to sell snakeheads or something in that area, is tiny28 the same guy that was banned?

[Marty]

Same neck of the woods, but his name is Chris.

[Ron]

New article:

http://www.dailytribune.com/article/20120608/NEWS03/120609602/pet-store-accused-of-selling-invasive-fish-species&pager=full_story

DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Federal authorities this week alleged even more fishy business at Pet Station, this time charging a manager with selling invasive fish species’.

In a criminal complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services agent alleges Ash Khatib, a manager at the south Dearborn Heights pet store, provided him with walking catfish and connected him with a dealer of snakehead fish.

Both species are considered invasive to the United States and share a unique trait — they can wriggle on land for up to a quarter-mile, bouncing from body of water to body of water, provided they stay moist. Natives of southeast Asia, the fish are known for their voracious appetites and are without natural predators in North America.

The investigation began in June 2010 with a tip from a confidential informant. According to the complaint, the informant purchased two walking catfish at Pet Station over the previous year for about $14 a piece.

The agent went to Pet Station a few days later and asked about purchasing one of the whiskered ichthyoids. A store employee identified only as Mike allegedly told the agent he had one large walking catfish for $79.99 and that he could order smaller ones for $14.99. A few days later the agent returned to the store and met with Khatib, a Dearborn Heights resident, about buying the walking catfish. A few days later, Khatib sold one to the agent for $15.89, according to the complaint.
The agent returned to the store the next month to ask about snakeheads. Khatib said he did not stock the fish because “selling snakehead fish was like selling drugs because it was illegal.” However, the agent said, Khatib offered to hook him up with someone who could help.

A couple weeks later, the agent went to Pet Station for a meeting with the snakehead dealer, who introduced himself as “Tiny.” Tiny confirmed he had snakeheads and gave the agent his phone number. Later that day, the agent met Tiny at his house in Wayne.

Tiny, who was eventually revealed to be Daniel Thacker, was well aware of the criminal implications of selling the fish, the agent said. He talked about the risk of “bringing them in” and said he could be fined $10,000 for each fish if caught. The agent ended up buying one redline snakehead for $100 cash.

The agent then reviewed customs declarations, discovering that an Ohio fish importer had imported 20 walking catfish from a shipper in Indonesia, with a customer referred to as “DEARBN,” the customer name for Pet Station, according to import records.

The agent then cross-referenced injurious species permits to see if Pet Station had one; it didn’t.
In March of last year, the agent called Thacker and said he had a friend who was interested in a snakehead after seeing his redline. Thacker said he would sell her one on the condition the agent vouched for her. In April, the agent called Thacker and said his friend was in town and arranged a meeting. The “friend” was also an undercover agent and struck a deal to buy nine Ocellated snakeheads for $450. According to the complaint, Thacker even threw an extra snakehead for free because the agent who arranged the meeting was a “good customer.”

Following a subsequent undercover buy, USFW agents obtained a search warrant and raided Thacker’s house. Thacker agreed to talk and said that he was selling the fish for Khatib, because Khatib didn’t want them in his store.
According to the complaint, Khatib later confirmed Thacker’s account when investigators paid him a house call.
The criminal charges against Khatib are just the latest to be tied to Pet Station in recent months. Stemming from an animal cruelty investigation, authorities raided the store in April and seized more than 100 animals. Ramzi Daklallah, the now former owner, faces one charge of felony animal cruelty and dozens more for violating state pet store regulations.