A Phoenix man and his mother were sentenced to prison for trying to import protected wildlife from Mexico.

Raymond Anthony Rabago Montoya, 23, of Phoenix, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison and three years of supervised release. His mother, Griselda Guadalupe Montoya-Gastelum, 50, of Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced to 18 months and three years of supervised release.

Both had pleaded guilt in April.

The duo were sentenced after investigators found they were importing animals such as tigers, panthers, monkeys and exotic parrots into the U.S. concealed as they went through the Nogales and Lukeville ports of entry between the two countries, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“Once again we see Arizonans profiting from the concealment of contraband through the Nogales and Lukeville Ports of Entry,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino. “Here, in lieu of controlled substances we have mistreated protected animals: and the sentences imposed send strong messages both of deterrence and of the importance of robust environmental protections.”

U.S. Fish and Wildlife began investigating after a tip from someone who bought four parrots from Rabago Montoya who thought they were illegal. Investigators served a search warrant on the home of Valley resident Carlos Castro and found a tiger cub, an alligator, 12 snapping turtles, 6 tortoises and other reptiles. Snapchat messages showed Castro and Montoya-Gastelum had talked about exotic animals and trades, according to the press release.

Castro had been convicted of the unlawful sale of wildlife in Maricopa County Superior Court, according tho the release.

Investigators were able to find advertisements for animals on Facebook and purchased two spider monkeys from the duo for $6,000 each. They were indicted in September 2023.

“Wildlife trafficking is illegal and immoral, as countless animals that are taken from the wild are smuggled across borders in inhumane conditions,” said Edward Grace, assistant director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “In the case of spider monkeys, many trafficked animals perish due to inadequate care, while those that survive face a life of captivity.”

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol, and the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart Zander and Lisa Jennis handled the prosecution.