Ex-Mountie who smuggled narwhal tusks to be sentenced

This narwhal skull has rare double tusks. (Photo By soebe – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)

BANGOR, Maine — A retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer accused of smuggling narwhal tusks across the border is due to be sentenced for money laundering.

Prosecutors say Gregory Logan, of St. John, New Brunswick, smuggled 250 tusks valued at $1.5 million to $3 million into Maine in false compartments in his vehicle.

Narwhals are medium-sized whales known for spiral tusks that can grow longer than 8 feet. They are protected by the U.S. and Canada.

Logan pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to money laundering and conspiracy to launder money. He already served four months of home detention and paid a $350,000 fine in Canada after pleading guilty to a related wildlife smuggling crime.

Logan originally was charged along with two U.S. residents. One of them was sentenced to 33 months.