William J. Edwards, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, today announced that Tania Julie Siyam, a 32-year-old Canadian citizen, was sentenced today in Akron, Ohio, to serve 60 months custody of the Attorney General and to pay a $100,000 fine for illegally smuggling ivory from the West African country of Cameroon to the United States. The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge John R. Adams, is the result of a multi-year, international investigation by special agents of the United States Fish & Wildlife Service and wildlife officials from Environment Canada.

On March 3, 2004, Siyam was indicted by a federal grand jury, in Cleveland, Ohio and charged with two felony Lacey Act violations and two felony smuggling counts involving activities relating to the illegal commercial trafficking of raw African elephant tusks (ivory) from Cameroon to the United States. At the time of the indictment Siyam was being held by Canadian officials pending extradition to the United States.

Pursuant to extradition and assistance treaties established between the United States and Canada, and following numerous Canadian hearings over nearly four years, Siyam was finally extradited to the United States on December 21, 2007. On March 21, 2008, Siyam plead guilty to each of the four federal felony charges.

Tania Siyam originally operated art import and export businesses in both Montréal, Canada and Cameroon that were fronts for smuggling products from endangered and protected wildlife species, including raw elephant ivory.

In the summer of 2002, Siyam moved her base of operation from Canada to Cameroon where her family is originally from. In Cameroon, Siyam orchestrated a sophisticated scheme to smuggle illegal wildlife products by soliciting the cooperation of local artists and craftsmen, operatives within international commercial shipping companies, contacts in the illegal ivory trade, a partner in Canada, a partner in the United States, and, her father, Alphonse Siyam Siwe, the General Manager of Ports in Cameroon from 1998-2005.

As part of her scheme, Siyam operated numerous Internet-based art businesses out of Canada and Cameroon; she also used other telecommunications to advertise and to sell regulated and protected wildlife products to customers throughout the world.

In the fall of 2002, special agents of the United States Fish & Wildlife Service, as well as Environment Canada wildlife officials, were alerted by concerned citizens that endangered species, including raw elephant ivory, were being advertised for sale on the Internet.

During November 2002, with the assistance of a local Ohio business owner, United States Fish & Wildlife Service special agents were able to purchase a shipment of illegal raw elephant ivory from Siyam. The raw ivory tusks were concealed inside pottery, labeled as art, and were sent by international courier from Cameroon, to Montréal, Canada. Once in Canada, the goods were repackaged and shipped by Siyam’s Canadian partner, via the Canadian and United States Postal Service, to the Ohio business address.

During December 2003, the cooperating Ohio business owner, working with United States Fish & Wildlife Service special agents, made a second purchase of 125 pounds of illegal raw elephant ivory. Siyam, again operating from Cameroon, shipped the raw elephant ivory by international courier directly to the cooperating Ohio business owner’s address. The shipment consisted of three wooden crates, with the raw ivory concealed inside terra cotta flower pots packaged within each crate.

Also in 2003, additional shipments of ivory were sent to other customers, including United States Fish & Wildlife Service special agents in New York. Raw elephant tusks, and elephant ivory carvings, were again concealed inside pottery and declared as art.

By the end of 2003, sufficient evidence had been obtained to charge Siyam with multiple felony Lacey Act and smuggling violations. The two elephant ivory shipments to Ohio were valued together at more than $158,000 and included parts from at least 21 African elephants.

Wild populations of African elephants within central Africa (Cameroon, Gabon and the Congo), the main source of elephant ivory, have dropped by approximately 75 percent in the last 40 years. The main cause for this decline in populations is believed to be the illegal hunting of elephants for the international ivory trade and for bush meat, a lucrative by-product of the illegal ivory trade.

The unauthorized importation and commercialization of African and Asian elephant products, including the raw elephant ivory tusks, are violations of the provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Both the United States and Canada are members of CITES which regulates, and strictly controls, worldwide trade in endangered and threatened species, and prohibits the illegal trade in parts of protected wildlife species such as the Asian and African elephants. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service and other law enforcement agencies in the 172 CITES member countries work closely together to stop the illegal trade of endangered/protected plants and animals.

The Lacey Act is a federal wildlife protection law. Each violation of the Act carries a maximum fine of $250,000 and/or a maximum term of five years in prison. Felony smuggling counts similarly carry a potential maximum fine of $250,000 and/or a maximum term of five years imprisonment for each violation,

The mission of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service is to work with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. They are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for their scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on their work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov.

The Siyam case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Phillip J. Tripi.