Maui Antique Freak shop raided for selling illegal ivory from whales, elephants, walrus

During a Tuesday raid by the State of Hawai’i and NOAA, dozens of illegal wildlife items were confiscated from the Antique Freak shop in Wailuku on Maui.

Evidence collected during the search included various species of threatened and endangered wildlife, including whale tooth ivory, elephant ivory, walrus ivory and turtle shells, according to a Hawai’i State Department of Land and Natural Resources news release.

Kula resident Shane Rosberg, 42, was arrested and charged with 26 counts of prohibited wildlife trafficking and 26 counts of possession of endangered and protected wildlife. His bail for each of the misdemeanor charges was set at $250, for a total of $13,000. 

Rosberg’s first appearance in Wailuku District Court is scheduled for June 15 at 10:30 a.m. For a first conviction there would be a mandatory fine of not less than $200, or imprisonment of not more than one year. If the state elects to charge him under Hawai‘i Administrative Rules, he could be fined up to $10,000. 

Under state law, no person shall sell, offer to sell, purchase, trade, possess with intent to sell, or barter for any part or product from the following animal family, genus or species: sea turtle, elephant, rhinoceros, tiger, great ape, hippopotamus, lion, pangolin, cheetah, jaguar, leopard, monk seal, walrus or narwhal. 

The raid was a joint effort between the Maui and Hawai‘i Island branches of the state Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement and NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement. The Maui Police Department processed the suspect.