Bimini man pleads to smuggling seafood

FORT LAUDERDALE — A Bimini man has pleaded guilty to smuggling seafood into the United States.

Robbie Franklin Smith, 45, of Bimini, face a maximum of five years in prison, plus three years of supervised release for importing more than 1,000 pounds of undeclared spiny lobster and 340 pounds of queen conch. He is to be sentenced by federal Judge William Zloch on April 6.

According to court records, four years ago, the Coast Guard intercepted a boat operated by James Hansen, a Miami seafood dealer. During an inspection, officers found the undeclared seafood.

Hansen had obtained the lobster and conch from Smith and planned to market it in the U.S. through his company, Hansen Seafood Inc. According to records, between June and December 2005, bought seafood from Smith and illegally imported it into the U.S. on about a dozen separate occasions.

According to court records, the seafood Hansen brought in had a market value of more than $87,000.

Hansen was convicted previously, and sentenced to pay a  fine of $75,000, perform 300 hours of community service, and to serve three years’ probation. He forfeited the proceeds of the seized seafood, which was valued at $13,930, as well as his boat that he used in the scheme.