SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — According to the Department of Justice, a Houston man was sentenced in federal court Friday for smuggling endangered baby Mexican spider monkeys into the United States.

Sarmad Ghaled Dafar, 33, was handed down a four-month stay in custody, followed by 180 days of home confinement. He was also ordered to pay $23,501.70 in restitution for the cost of quarantining three of the trafficked monkeys at the San Diego Zoo.

According to court records, Dafar orchestrated the illegal trafficking of six protected baby Mexican spider monkeys from Mexico to the U.S. between June 2022 and August 2023. He communicated with suppliers, arranged the smuggling, received the animals once they crossed the border, and offered them for sale via Facebook messages.

His scheme began to be uncovered on Aug. 14, 2023, when U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents intercepted three baby spider monkeys at the Calexico West Port of Entry. According to the DOJ, the monkeys were being smuggled into the U.S. by one of Dafar’s coconspirators. A search of the smuggler’s phone revealed communications, images and evidence linking the operation to Dafar.

Federal prosecutors revealed that Dafar specifically sought out baby monkeys to make smuggling easier, believing the smaller animals would be quieter and easier to conceal. In one Facebook exchange, Dafar commented on another smuggling bust, saying:

“He stupid brin[g] to[o] many of[] them and all adults…they make a lot noise and they active. Baby’s most be sleeping and small to hide.”

Photos shared by Dafar, seen below, show just how young the animals were—some kept in cages under heat lamps, others dressed in diapers. In one message to a buyer, Dafar promoted the sale of a spider monkey for $8,000, noting that similar animals usually sell for $15,000 or more.

Baby Mexican spider monkeys are classified as an endangered species, and wildlife experts say they are never willingly separated from their mothers. Capturing them often involves killing the mother and other members of the monkey troop that try to defend her and her baby.

The three monkeys seized in August 2023 underwent genetic testing at the San Diego Zoo, which confirmed that each came from a different mother.

“This crime ripped weeks-old baby monkeys from their mothers, disrupted fragile ecosystems, endangered a vulnerable species, and posed significant public health risks,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “This is not merely an economic crime; it is a severe and lasting injury to both wildlife and public safety.”

According to prosecutors, the trafficking of primates poses serious public health concerns. Quarantine procedures are in place to prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases such as Ebola, monkeypox and simian immunodeficiency virus, which can transfer from primates to human. The DOJ said Dafar failed to follow those requirements.

Following their seizure and quarantine, the three baby spider monkeys—now named Chrissy, Jack and Janet—were transferred to the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. They’ve since joined a group that includes Frankee and Bucees, two spider monkeys rescued from a separate border smuggling case.

While these five have found safety and care, the fate of the other three monkeys trafficked by Dafar in 2022 and 2023 remains unknown, said the DOJ.

Dafar is required to surrender to authorities by May 29, 2025, to begin serving his sentence.