As deadly as guns and meth, snakes have now been targeted in Georgia! A multi-state taskforce to catch and confiscate poisonous snakes in Georgia engaged in a “sting operation” that has, as reported, “stopped the trading and transport of 24 of the deadliest serpent species through the state of Georgia.”
The sting operation was named “Operation Viper,” and this viperous police operation “netted nearly 200 snakes” that were, over the last three years, “being bought or sold from undercover officers with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. (FFWCC)”
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources released this video showing some of the nearly 200 extremely poisonous and highly illegal snakes caught during a multi-state sting called “Operations Viper.”
The confiscated snakes included some of the most lethal snakes on the planet. As reported, some of the species confiscated included “the inland taipan, bushmaster, rhinoceros viper, African bush viper, Gaboon viper, green mamba, eyelash viper, multiple species of spitting cobra, forest cobra, puff adder and saw-scaled vipers.” These are seriously lethal vipers! “Several appear on the top ten deadliest snakes list.” For several of the species located in Georgia, there is no “anti-venom for the treatment of snake bites.”
As reported, Timothy James Gould, 38, of Central City, Pennsylvania, was arrested in Georgia on several felony and misdemeanor charges relating to the possession and illegal trading of these highly dangerous vipers. Gould, according to investigators, “would advertise on a popular online marketplace for wildlife dealers.” When arrested, investigators alleged that Gould had illegal possession of 27 exotic venomous snakes.
Follow the money! According to the Georgia DNR, wildlife trafficking ranks fourth behind drugs, weapons, and humans in global activity. “The Wildlife Conservation Society estimates illicit wildlife trafficking to be between $7.8 billion and $10 billion per year.” See related article Seven other people were taken into custody by authorities in Florida.
