An illegal narwhal smuggling ring has been busted by US and Canadian officials in Maine, reported AP, ending a wildlife trafficking operation that lasted for a decade.
Two Canadian accomplices smuggled the ivory, which was purchased legally in Canada, into Bangor, Maine inside of a secret trailer compartment, and then shipped them to American agents via FedEx, who sold them to buyers for thousands of dollars each, said AP.
The National Post reports that the two Americans indicted in the case could face fines upwards of $250,000 and 20 years in prison.
Narwhals are listed as "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and as "Special Concern" by the Canadian government.
It has been illegal to import narwhal ivory into the USA since 1972, when the species was first protected, although it is possible to buy ivory imported before the ban on the Internet.
Narwhals, more than a somewhat ridiculous Internet meme, are some of the more majestic animal residents of the Arctic's frozen, mysterious seas.
They are best known for their massive ivory tusks, which can measure upwards of 8 feet long, and caused these close relatives of the beluga whale to be mistaken for unicorns by early explorers.
Narwhals live in family pods and survive on other ocean creatures, says National Geographic, and were traditionally hunted by the Inuit for their meat and their curious facial adornment.
Only the males grow long ivory tusks—the purpose of which is still unknown to scientists, although some speculate they are used in mating rituals, and in fights with other narwhals.
Here's a website devoted entirely to the narwhal tusk mystery, marking it as possibly among the more important resources on the Internet. You can even track the movements of Canadian narwhals online, thanks to a projected spearheaded by the World Wildlife Fund.
Below, you may view video primer on narwhals by National Geographic, known world authorities on such important matters.