Pet store owner fined for illegal import

A Melbourne pet store owner has been fined for illegally importing protected Australian wildlife into Victoria.

Paul Stokes, 35, who runs a store in Glen Waverley, has pleaded guilty to a range of charges, including failing to keep proper records on his wildlife.

Department of Sustainability and Environment officers seized snakes and turtles, some of which were undersized, in a raid last year.

Stokes has been fined $8,000.

The pet store has been banned from trading in protected wildlife for three months.