20 October 2003 23:33
A Second Polish Airline Employee is Convicted for Illegally Importing Russian Sturgeon Caviar
BRAMPTON, ON, Oct. 20 /CNW/ - Marek Aleksander Sikorzak pled guilty today in the Ontario Court of Justice, Criminal
Court, Brampton, Ontario, to a charge of illegally importing Russian sturgeon caviar into Canada. Mr. Sikorzak illegally
imported 12.5 kg. of caviar on September 13, 2003. Marek Aleksander Sikorzak, age 45, was sentenced to 23 days of
incarceration. The caviar seized from him, with an estimated retail value of $25,000, was ordered forfeited to the
Crown. Mr. Sikorzak, a resident of Warsaw, Poland, was charged by federal Canadian Wildlife Service enforcement officers
under section 6(2) of the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade
Act. Mr. Sikorzak works for LOT Polish Airlines as a flight crewmember and was arrested on October 10, 2003 upon his
arrival in Canada at the Lester B. Pearson International Airport. On October 15, Malgorzata Maria Zabierzowska, an
employee of the same airline, pled guilty to a charge of illegally importing Russian sturgeon caviar, and was sentenced
to 13 days of incarceration. Environment Canada's wildlife enforcement officers were alerted to the import of the
caviar after Canada Customs and Revenue Agency Officers performed inspections on flight crewmembers and discovered the
undeclared sturgeon caviar. All sturgeon, and their parts and derivatives, have been protected since April 1998 under an
international treaty known as the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES). Sturgeon caviar is listed as an Appendix II species and a CITES export permit is required from Poland to
establish that the caviar was legally harvested. The illegal trade of sturgeon caviar throughout the world is considered
to be a serious conservation issue. The legal trade in caviar is estimated to be $100 million annually. The
International Institute of Sustainable Development estimates that the current annual illegal trade in caviar is at least
$125 million.
VIEW ADDITIONAL COMPANY-SPECIFIC INFORMATION: http://www.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/inquiry.cgi?OKEY=67865 /For further
information: Gary Colgan, Chief, Wildlife Enforcement Division, Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service,
905-319-6960/
[CAIW [Corporate Announcements Intelligence Wire]] |
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