A Chula Vista businessman has pleaded guilty to improperly importing sea cucumbers from Mexico by concealing the identification of a vendor in his son’s seafood business which is in Arizona.
Sentencing for Ramon Torres Mayorquin, 76, is set for Sept. 17 before U.S. District Court Judge Roger Benitez in San Diego. Mayorquin remains free on $50,000 bond.
His son, David Mayorquin, 40, who is the business’s owner in Tucson, Arizona, has also pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors of unlawful importation of wildlife. David Mayorquin is free on $100,000 bond.
The company, Blessings, Inc., of Tucson, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import sea cucumbers contrary to law. Court records say the company has agreed to forfeit $237,879 to the U.S. which represents the proceeds to the offense.
Ramon Mayorquin arranged for importation of the sea cucumbers into the U.S. through the Otay Mesa Port of Entry with the vendor’s source listed with a fake address, according to court documents. His maximum sentence is listed as 20 years in federal prison. His son faces up to one year in prison with a $100,000 fine.
The corporation could also be fined $500,000. It is possible that the financial penalties to the company could be the actual sentence with both Ramon and David Mayorquin only getting fines and no prison time.
The indictment, which was handed down in May, 2017, alleged that Ramon Mayorquin created false invoices to submit to U.S. Customs officials while knowing the sea cucumbers had been illegally harvested, sold and transported. The sales lacked the required paperwork under Mexican law.
The false sales invoices submitted to U.S. Customs claimed that Ramon Mayorquin was the supplier of the sea cucumbers to Blessings, Inc. from a non-existent address in Mexico. The indictment alleged that David Mayorquin sold the sea cucumbers for approximately $17.5 million to customers in China and elsewhere.
Mexican law requires the lawful origin of fisheries product be documented by means of permits for arrival, harvest, and production. All fisheries products sold in Mexico must be traceable to its lawful origins.
Sea cucumbers serve an important role in the marine ecosystem, according to the director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Illegal over-harvesting threatens the species, according to the service. The agency investigated the case along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Homeland Security.
