A retired RCMP officer is behind bars in the U.S. facing charges in relation to an international smuggling operation.
Gregory Logan is accused of profiting of the illegal trade of narwhal parts.
The mysterious narwhal is noted for its’ long tusk, actually a gigantic tooth, that sets it apart from other marine mammals. They’re often called the “unicorn of the sea.”
A few hundred narwhals are killed by Inuit hunters each year, for food.
But, other parts are popular with collectors, including the tusks Logan smuggled into the U.S. without a permit.
READ MORE: New Brunswick man who smuggled narwhal tusks loses appeal of extradition
Logan, 58, was convicted in Canada of smuggling 250 narwhal tusks, without a permit, from New Brunswick into the United States. But, he avoided time behind bars.
At his sentencing, however, he received a precedent-setting fine of $385,000.
But Logan has now been extradited to Maine for trial on laundering his $2 million in proceeds — a conviction carries a maximum prison term of 20 years and fines up to $500,000.
Wildlife trade expert Ernie Cooper says it’s quite a comedown for a man who spent 25 years as a respected member of the RCMP.
“As an ex-RCMP officer, wow, the irony of spending 20 years in a U.S. penitentiary is just shocking.”
U.S. Assistant Attorney General John Cruden said, in a statement, the Department of Justice is “extremely grateful to Canadian law enforcement authorities and all of our international partners, who are side by side with us in the fight against such trade.”
Logan legally bought and shipped the narwhal tusks within Canada, but it’s illegal to import marine animal parts into the U.S.
He drove them from the Saint John, New Brunswick-area and through the U.S. border crossing at Calais, Maine, using a truck and utility trailer and hiding many of the tusks beneath plywood that was attached beneath the trailer.
He continued on to Bangor, Maine, where he sent the tusks by courier to buyers across the U.S., often collecting payments at a nearby post office box.
With two American accomplices, Logan pulled off the scheme for 10 years. The investigation that caught him was called “Operation Longtooth”.
Wildlife advocate Cooper says Canada does a good job of cracking down on an illegal wildlife trading industry that’s worth an estimated $3 billion globally.
READ MORE: Feds say they have cracked ring that smuggled prized narwhal tusks worth thousands into US
“Certainly, Mr. Logan took some extreme risks in his activities and, well, he’s really going to be the penalty,” Cooper said.
Logan is currently in custody of American authorities and will be held until he goes to trial May 3.
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