20 month prison sentence for a British man who was arrested at the frontier in Irun found to be carrying four ‘Tito Pigmeo’ monkeys, an endangered species.

The prosecutor in Guipuzcoa is calling for a 20 month prison sentence for a British man who was arrested at the frontier in Irun found to be carrying four ‘Tito Pigmeo’ monkeys, an endangered species.

The Environmental Prosecutor considers that the accused has committed a crime against wild flora and fauna.

The man, named as Stephen J.R. was arrested on March 5 2010 after being stopped by the Ertzaintza regional police for irregular driving on a local motorway. There were two men in the car, and on the back seat, hidden under some clothes, were the three small plastic cages containing the monkeys. The two men were unable to produce documentation for the animals, but claimed they had an animal recovery centre at Huéscar, Granada and they were heading to Britain for the animals to breed.

The monkeys were taken to the Arrano Etxea animal centre, where vets said that two of the primates were in very poor health.

It is now known the men had an endangered species centre in Motril, Granada, which had been closed down, and had been stopped by French police when trying to board the ferry. They were fined 1,000 € and allowed to go, and were therefore heading back to Spain when they were stopped again.