By David Fleshler
Sun Sentinel
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — What would you do for a cold beer? One man caught a live alligator and brought it to a convenience store near Miami to try to trade it for a 12-pack.
The clerk, apparently uninterested in explaining to the boss that part of the day’s profit consisted of a large scaly reptile, called the police. They called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The thirsty alligator trapper, Fernando Aguilera, had caught the 4-foot alligator in a local park and brought it to the Santa Ana Market in Allapattah, just outside Miami.
Wildlife officers released the reptile unharmed. Instead of a beer, Aguilera received three citations for illegally catching and attempting to sell the alligator. The charges are second-degree misdemeanors, each carrying a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $500 fine.
“In 25 years of law enforcement, I have never come across an individual who purposely caught an alligator and tied it up, brought it to a convenience store and tried to barter it for a 12-pack,” said FWC Officer Jorge Pino.
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