Couple arrested for trying to sell ‘adorable pet kittens’ – but they turned out to be much more dangerous
A COUPLE have been arrested after trying to sell cute kittens as pets – but they were really much more dangerous.
Rafael Gutierrez-Galvan, 29, met an undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent in a carpark of an outdoors superstore in McAllen, Texas, on August 24.
He sold a small, spotted kitten to the undercover agent for $7,500.
But experts identified the kitten as a margay cub – an exotic wild cat native to South America.
A month later, on September 26, Gutierrez-Galvan met with the same agent.
This time, he tried to sell a larger spotted kitten.
The agent was able to clearly identify it as a jaguar cub, officials said.
He confronted Gutierrez-Galvan, who said in Spanish: “I’m just here to sell a cat.”
At the same time, agents had been watching Gutierrez-Galvan’s residence, where he lives with his wife, Denayira Garza, 28.
The agents spotted Garza leaving their house carrying a full case of money, before leaving in an SUV.
She was pulled over after running a red light, and told police officers that she was taking the case of money to meet her husband.
After being taken into custody, Garaza confirmed that her husband trafficked wildlife, and that neither she nor Gutierrez-Galvan were licensed.
Gutierrez-Galvan admitted to “buying and selling animals” for a living, but claimed that he thought the first animal he sold to the undercover agent was a Persian cat.
Under the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which went into effect in December 2022, the importation, exportation and selling of big cats are prohibited.
If convicted, both Gutierrez-Galvan and Garza could face up to five years in prison, as well as a fine of $20,000.
This comes after a man who bought a puppy found out his strange looking puppy was actually a different beast altogether.
A woman who took in a stray puppy was also shocked when her new pet turned into a creature of terrifying magnitude.