Two Miami men pleaded no contest Wednesday in Monroe County Circuit Court to a third-degree felony charge in a case of sea turtle mutilation.
David Hernandez-Sordo, 49, and Pedro Suarez, 60, were sentenced to 18 months' probation, said Assistant Monroe State Attorney Anna Hubicki, who prosecuted the case. They also pled no contest to a second-degree misdemeanor charge.
The two were pulled over by Florida Fish and Wildlife officers in the Middle Keys in January. The officers said the truck they were in ran a red light, and the boat they were towing wasn't properly tied down, according to a story in the Florida Keys Keynoter.
Officers saw a bloody filet knife, which led them to investigate further — and find a sea turtle tail and two blacknose sharks in the boat, according to the story.
Based on the size of the tail, the loggerhead turtle was probably 50 to 70 years old, said Richie Moretti, director of the Turtle Hospital in Marathon.
"They didn't even take the meat. They just took the tail. That's very sad," Moretti said. "For the turtle to squirt that much blood, it had to have been alive."
In sea turtles, sexual organs are inside the tail. Moretti said he has heard some reports that turtle penises are used in aphrodisiacs.
Loggerhead sea turtles are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act and by state law. They are listed as threatened in South Atlantic waters.
"That one turtle can make a difference for future generations, whether your grandchildren get to see a turtle," Moretti said.
In addition to probation, the two men are banned from fishing and diving in Monroe County and must surrender their fishing licenses and complete an education course with the fish and wildlife conservation commission, Hubicki said. They also must pay court costs and almost $2,000 for the cost of the investigation.
