Colombia extradites celebrity designer Nancy Gonzalez to US over alleged leather smuggling

Colombian fashion designer Nancy Gonzalez at the El Dorado International Airport in Bogota on August 30, 2023. — AFP pic/Colombian Migration Office

Thursday, 31 Aug 2023 2:49 PM MYT

BOGOTÁ, Aug 31 — Colombia has extradited to the United States a celebrity fashion designer wanted for the alleged smuggling of protected animal skin purses, police in the South American country said Wednesday.

Nancy Gonzalez’s purses, clutches and wallets sell for thousands of US dollars apiece, have appeared on catwalks and TV shows and grace the shelves of high-end shops around the globe.

But the Colombian, 78, was arrested in July 2022 in the city of Cali on accusations related to more than 200 of the caiman- and python-skin products that were allegedly imported illegally and sold in the United States.

Individuals were allegedly paid to bring the bags from Colombia to New York on commercial flights, and coached to lie about the provenance of the goods if asked.

Some of the skins were allegedly from species that were either protected or in danger of extinction, police official Jose Luis Ramirez said in a video sent to media.

More:
https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2023/08/31/colombia-extradites-celebrity-designer-nancy-gonzalez-to-us-over-alleged-leather-smuggling/88279