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Orange Co. man accused of smuggling pounds of illegal meat to NY

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Only Eyewitness News discovered an Orange County man is facing serious charges for smuggling thousands of pounds of illegal meat.

The wildlife Satish Udairam is accused of selling included everything from hogs to possums.

Newly released court documents show the man was driving the wild game all the way to New York.

The records also show he would buy from people along Interstate 4.

Police said Udairam was buying from undercover officers.

Udairam was busted in a multistate operation in November 2012.  He admitted to using his van to transport tens of thousands of dollars of fish, deer, turkey and even possum to buyers in New York.

Udairam was running his illegal business from his Orange County home.

Joy Hill with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it was a very large conspiracy.

"These folks knew what they were doing. They were transporting on interstate highways," Hill said.

Udairam met one of the undercover agents near I-4 to buy nearly 500 pounds of wildlife meat.

He allegedly told the officers he wanted to leave at around 4:30 a.m. to blow past an agricultural inspection station during its shift change.

Fish and Wildlife officials said black market crime rings like the one Udairam was involved in hurt legitimate businesses, licensed hunters and the ecosystem.

The meat also did not go through inspection.

The scheme came to a halt after undercover officers spent 22 months gathering evidence.

"In the end, the good guys were right there with them (at) the right time," Hill said.

Udairam is facing up to two years in prison and a $200,000 fine.

Investigators said they are still trying to connect the dots with the crimes in other states.

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