Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The Florida Highway Patrol arrested a man in Winter Haven on Thursday morning after he was pulled over for driving with no tag light on his trailer, but when they got a closer look at his truck, they found 13 live iguanas.
What we know:
Troopers say Rendon Casildo-Acdiel, 32, was pulled over along Winter Lake Road and Thornhill Road around 6:30 a.m.
They said he didn't have a tag light to illuminate the license plate on the metal portion of his trailer.
Dig deeper:
That's when troopers learned Casildo-Acdiel's Georgia driver's license was suspended, and he had three warrants from three different agencies.
Troopers asked Casildo-Acdiel why he was in Florida, and he said he went to Miami to get coconuts, then to Polk County to get fish, and then wanted to return to North Carolina.
Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol
FHP asked the Polk County Sheriff's Office to respond too, because those items could be obtained in North Carolina.
That's when a K9 alerted to the vehicle and trailer. That's where they found five coolers of iced tilapia and the 13 live iguanas in the bed of the truck. Those iguanas had their feet zip-tied behind their backs, FHP said.
Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol
Then, FHP called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Department of Agriculture.
Big picture view:
On FWC's website, they say while iguanas are invasive, they can add charges if they are treated inhumanely.
There are also guidelines on how they're captured.
Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol
If they are getting transported, the iguanas must be kept in a secure, escape-proof, breathable container.
It's also illegal to possess live green iguanas without a permit, unless under a FWC executive order.
Casildo-Acdiel faces a charge of driving while a license is suspended. He was taken to the Polk County Jail.
What we don't know:
FWC took over the wildlife portion of the investigation.
FOX 13 reached out to FWC to find out if he's facing charges for the iguanas.
What's next:
The rescued iguanas were turned over to a local rescue shelter.
The Source: FOX 13 gathered the information for this story from the Florida Highway Patrol.