MIAMI — Federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday in Miami that a luxury yacht company pleaded guilty to charges related to illegal timber.
Sunseeker International Limited and Sunseeker USA Sales Co. Inc. admitted to two violations of the Lacey Act, a law that bans the import of illegally taken timber.
The violations were related to a door and other parts made out of teak from Myanmar that were in yachts imported to the U.S., according to prosecutors.
“South Florida is one of the world’s great gateways for luxury vessels, but our ports are not open to illegal goods,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said in a statement.
The U.S. has imposed sanctions against the Myanma Timber Enterprise, the sole authorized seller of export teak in Myanmar.
Doug Ault, the assistant director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, released a statement reacting to the case.
“Timber trafficking is a transnational crime that damages forests and puts legitimate businesses at a disadvantage,” Ault said.
The companies agreed to pay a $200,000 fine and to implement a compliance plan, according to prosecutors. Sentencing is Aug. 20.
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