A Miami seafood dealer was convicted and sentenced in U.S. District Court in Miami earlier this week for illegally importing queen conch and spiny lobster from the Bahamas.
In December 2005, James Hanson Jr. was intercepted by a Coast Guard patrol vessel and taken to a military base in Miami Beach where, during a boarding and inspection, officers found more than 1,000 pounds of undeclared spiny lobster and about 340 pounds of queen conch. Hanson intended to sell the product through his company, Hanson Seafood.
Hanson was ordered to pay a $75,000 fine, perform 300 hours of community service and to serve three years of probation. In addition, his wholly owned company, J.R.J.T., was ordered to shut down and forfeit the boat used to smuggle the seafood.
