Spanish national forfeits R500 000 after wildlife trafficking conviction

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has obtained a forfeiture order of R500 000 after a Spanish national was convicted for the illegal possession of armadillo girdled lizards and a speckled padloper tortoise.

David Navarro Roman’s conviction follows his arrest for possession of fauna without documentation, importing and transportation of wild animals without a permit and money laundering.

Court grants forfeiture order

The Vredendal Regional Court in the Western Cape granted the forfeiture order in addition to suspended sentences in relation to the charges against him.

According to the NPA, the 41-year-old man confessed that he arrived in South Africa in November 2025 and arranged to stay in Klawer.

He claimed he visited the west coast town for tourism purposes, that he had an interest in armadillo lizards and wanted to see if he could find them.

“He claimed that he met a person whose details he had forgotten who sold him 22 armadillo girdled lizards and a speckled padloper tortoise,” NPA regional spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said on Friday.

Roman then took the animals to his hotel room.

Tip-off leads to hotel room search and arrest

Senior state advocate Aradhana Heeramun informed the court that local police received a tip-off about someone inquiring about the lizards.

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When the Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit (STESU) and government entity CapeNature officials visited the local hotel and conducted a search, they found the lizards and tortoise in Roman’s room.

“He did not have a permit or any documentation authorising his possession of the animals,” Ntabazalila said.

Police arrested and charged him accordingly. Ntabazalila said Roman pleaded guilty on Thursday, admitting that he knew it was illegal to be in possession of, transport, or buy the fauna but went ahead anyway.

Environmental crime described as global threat

Heeramun argued that illegal trade of fauna and flora is part of the five largest illegal activities in the world, along with illegal drug trade, illegal weapons smuggling and trafficking in persons.

He told the court it was essential to recognise that environmental crime, unlike many other forms of crime, is a time-critical issue.

He further argued that environmental crime was one of the most damaging, high-profile and economically significant fields of global criminal activity.

“Roman admitted that the court can make a confiscation order of R500 000 in terms of Section 18 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act 121 of 1998,” Ntabazalila said.

The money will be divided between the Criminal Assets Recovery Account and CapeNature. Roman was declared unfit to possess a firearm, and the animals were forfeited to CapeNature.

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The Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, advocate Nicolette Bell, welcomed the collaborative work of the NPA’s Organised Crime Component, the Asset Forfeiture Unit, CapeNature’s law enforcement, and STESU.

Bell said South Africa had both a national and an international obligation to address wildlife trafficking.

This is due to several international multilateral environmental agreements, which “oblige South Africa to conserve its natural resources and ensure that international trade in listed wildlife species does not threaten their survival in the wild”.

She added that the country’s Constitution places an obligation on South Africans to ensure the protection of the environment and to take reasonable measures to secure the ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources.

Roman was sentenced as follows:

Five years’ direct imprisonment for possession of fauna without documentation, wholly suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted for a similar offence.

Two years’ direct imprisonment for importing and transporting wild animals without a permit, wholly suspended for five years on the condition that he is not convicted of a similar offence.

Two years’ direct imprisonment for money laundering wholly suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted for a similar offence.

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