A California couple learned the hard way that discussing their travel plans with strangers can have dire consequences, especially when those plans involve transporting the remains of a protected sea turtle in their carry-on luggage.

More than a year ago, two officers from the California department of fish and wildlife (CDFW) were flying back to northern California from San Diego, dressed in plain clothes, and struck up a conversation with a couple seated nearby who were discussing hunting.

During the conversation, the couple admitted they were carrying a sea turtle skull from the east coast in their luggage. They also mentioned illegally hunting a mountain lion, a specially protected species in California, and told the officers about a relative’s “trophy room” full of taxidermized mountain lions, a wolverine and other animals.

After the flight, the CDFW officers asked to see the sea turtle skull. The couple waited until TSA officers weren’t looking before pulling it out from inside a jacket in their carry-on bag. The skull belonged to a green sea turtle, an endangered species that is illegal to own or transport.

Within two days, the officers got search warrants for the couple’s home in Chico and their relative’s home in Napa county. When they searched the Chico home, they found the couple processing a deer they killed illegally that same day. Deer season was closed, and they had no permits.

Inside the home, wildlife officers also found mountain lion claws, a ringtail cat, a mounted barn owl and several deer taken without proper tags. Ringtail cats are a fully protected species in California and it is illegal to own a mounted raptor or raptor parts without state and federal permits.

At the Napa county home, authorities found two full-bodied taxidermized mountain lions and a wolverine, which are both illegal to possess in California. All the animals were taken as evidence.

“This case shows how important it is for our wildlife officers to be alert at all times,” said the CDFW’s chief of law enforcement, Nathaniel Arnold, in a statement. “Like human and narcotics trafficking, wildlife trafficking of both live animals and animal parts is known to fund transnational criminal organizations and their violent activities all over the world.”

Byron Lee Fitzpatrick, 24, and Shannon Lee Price, 28, were convicted of violating state wildlife laws, received a one-year probation prohibiting them from hunting or associating with hunters, and were fined $1,865 and $1,015, respectively. They face an additional $1,000 each for violating federal wildlife laws.

Harry Vern Fitzpatrick, 64, pleaded guilty in Napa county to possessing protected species, and was placed on six months of probation. He also received a $605 fine and forfeited his illegal collection.

Global wildlife trafficking is the third-largest illegal trafficking activity in the world, behind drug trafficking and counterfeit foods, according to a 2023 report from the ratings firm Moody’s. The US is the “source, destination and transit location” for illegal trafficking in wildlife and animal products, the report says.