Former NRL star arrested over wildlife smuggling ring

Australian Federal Police have arrested suspended NRL player Martin Kennedy over his alleged involvement in an illegal international wildlife ring.

News Corp reports that authorities seized a large amount of cash and a number of snakes after the former Roosters and Broncos star’s Bondi house was raided.

Police will allege that Kennedy was responsible for 16 packages that arrived in Australia from Thailand containing more than 200 animals, including Chinese soft-shell turtles, alligator snapping turtles, snakehead fish, sugar gliders, veiled chameleons and freshwater stingrays.

It’s also alleged investigators intercepted six packages containing more than 40 Australian shingleback lizards bound for Sweden.

Kennedy was last year suspended from playing for more than two years for breaching the league’s anti-doping policy.

The NRL found Kennedy guilty of ordering performance enhancing drugs during the 2012 off-season.

An extra nine months were added to his ban for trying to delete evidence from his phone.