Exotic Snake Trader Pleads Guilty in Colorado

DENVER, Colorado, May 10, 2004 (ENS) - Two African bush vipers, five albino monocled cobras, a Mexican blacktail rattlesnake, and two Sri Lankan pit vipers were just a few of the 99 exotic snakes that law enforcement officials found in the home of a Firestone, Colorado man last June. On Friday, Brook Bernston pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to interstate trafficking of wildlife, and to being a felon in possession of firearms.

Berntson is scheduled to be sentenced on August 13, 2004. As a part of the plea agreement, he agreed to forfeit the snakes and his snake care equipment.

Albino monocled cobra, found in the wild from India to southeast Asia (Photos by Jerry Lee Gingerich courtesy Glades Herp Inc.)

A followup investigation found that Berntson had placed an Internet classified advertisement on the reptile hobbyist website http://www.kingsnake.com offering to sell Western Hognose snakes.

In June of 2003 an undercover agent contacted Berntson by phone, and talked with him several times about the trafficking of snakes. The undercover agent arranged to purchase a pair of snakes for $1,000 from Berntson.

On Saturday, June 28, 2003, Fish and Wildlife agents executed a search warrant at 205 Granville Avenue, Firestone, Colorado to search for and seize illegally possessed snakes.

Agents seized 99 snakes during the search, some highly venomous. Agents also found four firearms and ammunition as well as marijuana plants.

Wildlife officials said the snakes were taken to “secure locations,” including the Denver Zoo.

Berntson was charged by criminal complaint and then later indicted by a federal grand jury. Berntson faces up to five years in federal prison for illegally trafficking snakes, and up to 10 years in prison on the firearms charge.

His actual prison sentence, however, will be determined by Chief Judge Lewis Babcock based on Congressionally mandated sentencing guidelines.

The snakes came from all over the world. They included two Gaboon vipers, snakes that inhabit the rainforest floor in the equatorial belt of tropical Africa, and can swallow prey as large as a rabbit, whole.

Jameson's mamba from East Africa

Ten Western hognose snakes were found in Berntson's home, the type he originally was found to be selling illegally. Native to eastern Colorado, these snakes look like prairie rattlesnakes but are harmless.

Ten different species of rattlesnakes were also found in the home, including 13 Western diamondback rattlesnakes, which ranks as one of the world's largest and most dangerous snakes. This snake accounts for more serious and fatal snake bites than any other North American reptile.

The Denver Zoo assisted agents and officers with handling the snakes, and no one was injured during the arrest and confiscation. Special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted with the firearms part of the investigation.