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Two Alaskans have pleaded guilty to illegally trading the tusks of about 100 walruses with Eskimo hunters.
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| Indigenous Alaskans are allowed to hunt walruses for food |
The pair
were arrested in April with the ivory tusks, along with two polar bear hides.
They had
swapped the animal parts with the hunters in exchange for money, guns,
cigarettes and at least one snowmobile.
Indigenous
Alaskans are allowed to hunt walruses but they are not permitted to sell the
tusks.
The state
prosecutor declined to comment on whether the hunters would also be charged,
according to the Anchorage Daily News.
Prosecutors
say this is Alaska's biggest wildlife trafficking case for nearly two decades.
A third
defendant is expected to plead guilty to similar charges next week.
The three
had obtained about 500 pounds (227kg) of walrus tusks from Yup'ik Eskimo
hunters in the village of Savoonga, court documents say.
The pair
pleaded guilty under a plea bargain and prosecutors have asked for prison terms
of at least five years.
Two of the
defendants asked for permission to get married before they are sentenced in
November.
They fear
that if they are not married, they will not be able to send letters to each
other in separate prisons.
The judge
said he would try to accommodate their request.
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