Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson announced the arrest of Roger Rodriguez Vega of Maitland, FL, after investigators alleged he entered Florida with livestock despite being turned away at a state agricultural inspection station.
Authorities said Rodriguez Vega was denied entry at the Pensacola Agricultural Inspection Station after failing to provide the required Official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for 24 sheep and goats transported from Texas. Because the animals came from an area subject to Florida’s enhanced New World screwworm restrictions, the state issued a statewide Be On the Lookout alert.
Investigators later determined he entered Florida through Georgia, where officers stopped the vehicle and again found the required veterinary paperwork was not available.
