State environmental investigators charged a person with a felony after an undercover $7,000 sale of a marmoset in Buffalo, according to an Oct. 20 Department of Environmental Conservation report.
The investigation began after DEC received several reports that someone was illegally offering the small primate for sale in the city.
Investigators checked with the agency's Special Licenses office and found that the person did not have permits to possess the animal.
Plainclothes officers then met with the seller on Oct. 8 and agreed to buy the marmoset for $7,000, the department said.
After the sale, investigators charged the person with illegal commercialization of wildlife, a class E felony.
The case is returnable to Buffalo City Court.
The marmoset was transferred to a licensed primate sanctuary for care, DEC said.
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