A Georgia man who built an online following posing with exotic pets was arrested after allegedly leading an animal trading ring.
JaeQuan Smith Devers was taken into custody on October 17 after a raid on his home discovered an array of tropical and dangerous animals, including an American alligator, an endangered ring-tailed lemur, and a rattlesnake, cops said.
Almost three pounds of marijuana were also allegedly found in Devers home, and he was hit with drug charges, possession of wild animals without a permit, and possession of tools during the commission of a crime.
Devers made no secret of his affection for tropical animals on social media, and often shared videos of himself straddled by snakes and monkeys.
JaeQuan Smith Devers, who built an online following posing with exotic pets, was taken into custody on October 17 after a raid on his home discovered an array of tropical and dangerous animals
Authorities said Devers ran an exotic animal trading ring, and a number of pets were found in his home this month including an American alligator, an endangered ring-tailed lemur, and a rattlesnake
Almost three pounds of marijuana were also found in Devers home, and he was hit with drug charges, possession of wild animals without a permit, and possession of tools during the commission of a crime
Going by PetzonWheelz on Instagram, Devers built a following of over 15,000 animal lovers, and said a previous account had almost 35,000 followers before it was disabled.
He appeared to bring his extravagant pets into public in Georgia, and in one video is seen sharing chicken with a monkey on his shoulder at an event.
In another video just weeks before his arrest, Devers shared a clip of a police officer playing with his pet monkey wearing a pink dress, seemingly unaware of his alleged ties to an animal ring.
Devers also advertised dogs for sale on his Instagram account, telling his followers they were super affordable, and described himself on Facebook as a sanctuary and distributor for the Animals that are better than people.
He fell onto the radar of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which teamed up with Clayton County Animal Control and the Clayton County Sheriffs Office to raid his home last week.
Inside his home, officials said they found an American alligator, two black and white tegus, a ring-tailed lemur, one timber rattlesnake, one western hog-nosed snake, one bald python, and 13 dogs, reports Fox5Atlanta.
An American alligator found at Devers home, seen in an image released from the raid on his home by the Clayton County Sheriffs Office
In one video just weeks before his arrest, Devers shared a clip of a police officer playing with his pet monkey wearing a pink dress, seemingly unaware of his alleged ties to an animal ring
Going by PetzonWheelz on Instagram, Devers built a following of over 15,000 animal lovers with videos of extravagant and dangerous animals, and said a previous account had almost 35,000 followers before it was disabled
Authorities said Devers owned a number of animals that violated animal welfare laws, including ring-railed lemurs, one of the most endangered primates on earth
Devers also showed images of tegus, a large black and white lizard species that are banned in Georgia as they are considered harmful to native wildlife
Several of the animals Devers appeared to show off on his Instagram are banned for private ownership in Georgia, including tegus - a large black and white species of lizard that are banned as they are considered harmful to native wildlife.
Ring-tailed lemurs are also one of the most endangered primates on earth, with Devers sharing several videos of himself appearing to play with the animals.
The Clayton County Sheriffs Office said after the raid that over 20 animals were found in the home.
Residents in the county are limited to owning five animals per household.