A Maui shop owner was arrested and charged with 26 counts of wildlife trafficking and 26 counts of possession of endangered and protected wildlife following a raid at his Wailuku antique shop on Tuesday.
KAHULUI, Hawaii (KITV4) -- A Maui shop owner was arrested and charged with 26 counts of wildlife trafficking and 26 counts of possession of endangered and protected wildlife following a raid at his Wailuku antique shop on Tuesday.
Officers from the Department of Land and Natural Resource (DLNR) Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Law Enforcement confiscated dozens of items from the Antique Freak shop in Wailuku.
Following the raid, 42-year-old Shane Rosberg of Kula was arrested and charged. His bail for each charge, all of which are misdemeanors, was set at $250, for a total of $13,000, according to DLNR.
During the raid, officers recovered various species of threatened and endangered wildlife, including whale tooth ivory, elephant ivory, walrus ivory, and turtle shells.
“This was a joint effort between the Maui and Hawaii Island DOCARE branches and NOAA/OLE. The Maui Police Department processed the suspect. Law enforcement takes these violations seriously and we hope this case serves as a warning to anyone who may be peddling or possessing items with the intent to sell, made from endangered or protected species,” said DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla in a press release.
Rosberg is due in Wailuku District Court on June 15 at 10:30 a.m. He could be facing up to $10,000 in fines and up to a year in jail if convicted.
Matthew has been the digital content manager for KITV4 since September 2021. Matthew is a prolific writer, editor, and self-described "newsie" who's worked in television markets in Oklahoma, California, and Hawaii.
