The world-famous bag designer who tried to smuggle crocodile skin bags from Colombia to New York Fashion Week was jailed

The federal court in Miami sentenced the 71-year-old bag designer of Colombian origin, Nancy Gonzales, to 18 months in prison for violating the American wildlife protection laws, reports Sky News.

Gonzalez admitted in court that he recruited couriers to carry up to four items each on commercial flights from Colombia to the United States, including to New York Fashion Week. According to the prosecutors, the value of the bags made from the skins of caimans and pythons bred in captivity reached 2 million dollars (roughly HUF 739 million).

The world-renowned designer turned to alternative shipping methods because he repeatedly failed to obtain the proper import permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which regulates the trade of endangered and threatened species.

Gonzales was arrested in 2022 in Cali, Colombia, where he spent 14 months in prison awaiting extradition. He has now been sentenced to another 18 months in prison in the United States. He is due to begin serving his sentence on June 6.

Choking back tears before the sentencing, Gonzalez said he deeply regretted not fully complying with American law. “I apologize from the bottom of my heart to the United States of America. It was never my intention to offend a country to which I owe immeasurable gratitude. I made bad decisions under pressure,” he said.

According to the prosecutors, however, the designer was motivated only by easy money, which is why he avoided the law, and his activities were compared to drug smugglers.

The woman’s lawyers, on the other hand, defended themselves by saying that only 1 percent of the goods she brought into the United States did not have the proper papers, and moreover, they were not transported to the United States for commercial purposes, they were only samples intended for New York Fashion Week and other events.

Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of 30 to 37 months for Gonzalez, but the judge ultimately took into account the nearly 14 months she served in a Colombian prison.

The Colombian designer broke into the American market in 1998, quickly became popular with his vibrant colors, bold material choices and excellent quality, competing with global brands such as Dior, Prada and Gucci. Celebrities also like to wear Gonzalez bags, Britney Spears, Salma Hayek and Victoria Beckham have bought from him. But her bags also appeared in the Sex and New York series.