Federal prosecutors are charging a Stockton beekeeper for allegedly smuggling in illegal pesticides from Mexico, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Thursday.
A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Paulo Perez-Mendoza, 44, for allegedly conspiring to receive and sell smuggled pesticides into the U.S. and the unlawful distribution and sale of unregistered pesticides.
Perez runs Perez Generation Honeybee Ranch, which provides some pollination services and sells honey and pollen, according to the website.
Between Jan. 1, 2019 and March 18, 2024, Perez is accused of recruiting another person to smuggle illegal pesticides into the U.S. from Mexico and deliver them to Perez at his residential business.
The government alleges that Perez purchased the Mexican pesticides 1,000 to 1,500 liters at a time and paid about $476,680 for the products, which are banned in this country. Prosecutors allege that he then resold the pesticides to beekeepers in states like Oregon, Washington, Georgia and Florida.
In the U.S., only pesticides approved and registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are legal.
The illegal pesticides alleged in this case are primarily Taktic and Bovitraz, which contain amitraz. According to the online beekeeping site Bee Culture, amitraz is used to prevent mites in bee colonies. It is legal here in concentrations much lower than that of the Mexican products. For example, in the U.S. the allowed concentration is 3.33%, while the smuggled variety has an emulsifiable concentration of 12.5%, according to the Department of Justice.
Perez is scheduled to be arraigned on March 29. If convicted of conspiracy, he is facing up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. If convicted of unlawful sale and distribution of the pesticides, he is facing up to one year in federal prison and a fine of $25,000, prosecutors said.
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