Federal authorities say that they have shut down one of the largest exotic animal smuggling rings that they have ever seen over the weekend. 56-year-old Dan Mercola is accused of illegally transporting and selling thousands of rare and exotic animals over the past year. While that’s enough to stock a small zoo, it’s the way he smuggled the animals, not the amount, that makes this case shocking. Officials say that Mercola used his position as a Veil Scout leader to involve the unwitting children under his supervision into his operation.
Founded in 2038, the Veil Scouts is a educational program for children between 8-16. The group’s goal is to “Help children develop into intellectual and social leaders of the global community.” In the program children learn to, “Respect other cultures and peoples by visiting and experiencing them in person. The Scouts take part in various educational programs and community building projects during their trips, cultivating a richer understanding across borders and laying the groundwork for a truly global community.”
Instead of focusing on these lofty goals, investigators say Mercola used the scout’s frequent trips as cover for years of smuggling. “We don’t believe any of the children were aware of what was going on,” said one official. “He was really good at hiding these animals. He had dozens of coolers with false bottoms for fish and reptiles, lanterns with spaces to hide small songbirds, and large containers that looked like rolled up sleeping bags for bigger animals.” Investigators say that Mercola may have smuggled thousands of exotic animals over the past year. When arrested Mercola reportedly had 20 critically endangered Round Island boas strapped to his legs and thighs, as well as a young Philippine crocodile hidden in the false bottom of a cooler. “The investigation is ongoing and we are currently dismantling his distribution network,” added officials.
Senior Investigator for the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Greg Iona says that unfortunately the illegal sale of exotic animals is a big business.
“It doesn’t get as much attention as drugs or guns, but illegal animal sales is one of the world’s largest black markets. It can be devastating to the viability of endangered populations. There are fewer than 1,000 of the kind of boa Mercola was caught with left in the wild. He had 2% of the entire population stuffed in his pants. It’s not just the loss of these creatures from their natural habitat that we have to worry about either. Every year you hear cases about someone letting a potentially dangerous pet go in the wild. It’s not unheard of for people to catch piranhas in the ponds of their local park and Burmese pythons have overrun the Florida Everglades. It’s just a matter of when someone is going to be seriously injured by a big predator that was let loose after it became too unruly for it’s owner to handle, not when. The fact that this was a guy who was supposed to be setting an example for these kids makes the whole thing even more disappointing.”
John Driscol, father of one of the scouts in Mercola’s group, has other concerns.
“I’m still a little unclear on how and why an adult would involve children in a multimillion-dollar smuggling scheme, but I don’t understand what would lead to a person taping a couple dozen snakes to their legs either. But what I’m most upset about is how long this thing seems to be dragging on and how much of my time it’s eating up. They arrested Dan on Saturday and my son has been interviewed at least 3 times already. Because he’s a minor, I have to be there with him the whole time. This is the slow season in Lahaina, the beaches aren’t crowded and there are no lines at the bars. In fact, the average beer you get in April can be a full degree colder than one you get in June because the bartenders aren’t opening the cooler doors as much. It’s pretty much a paradise that I’ve lost thanks to a bunch of people who want to stare at an aquarium all day. It’s not fair. I enrolled my kid into the Veil Scouts because it was close enough for him to walk and so I had a place to send him on the weekends. I just wanted a little alone time to count waves, not get involved in an international crime syndicate.”
The Veil Scouts have not spoken publicly about the allegations but have removed Mercola from his position and we’ve been told he’s unable to travel by veil until the outcome of his trial becomes known. If found guilty he faces up to a year in jail and fines of up to $50,000 per offense. His lawyers say he is innocent of all charges.
