Colombia-born Nancy Gonzalez is one of the top handbag designers in the world. However, the celebrity fashion designer was recently arrested in her hometown of Cali, Colombia.

She is also facing extradition to the United States on smuggling charges. According to ABC Australia, the "handbag designer to the stars" is facing charges in the U.S. Southern District of Florida.

She could face up to 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine for her crocodile skin smuggling operations.

Colombia-Born Nancy Gonzalez Paid Passengers to the United States to Smuggle Crocodile Skin

The sale of crocodile skin is not illegal. However, it does require a certificate that is hard and expensive to obtain, according to ABC News.

Investigators from both the United States and Colombia have worked together to investigate Nancy Gonzalez's operations. 

They reported that she smuggled hundreds of handbags between the two countries by paying passengers heading to the U.S. to carry her products. They were instructed to say that these were gifts to relatives if customs agents ever asked them.

Authorities from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service claimed that as many as 12 people carried four handbags each. They would board a single flight to the U.S. with round-trip tickets that Gonzalez paid for herself.

According to Asuntos Legales, a Colombian legal news website, Gonzalez was arrested along with two others in her hometown of Cali. If she is extradited to the U.S., this will mark the first time that somebody has been extradited to the U.S. from Latin America regarding the leather industry. 

Nancy Gonzalez and her associates used the skins of animals, such as snakes, crocodiles, and caiman, for various products, including bags, belts, and wallets.

The probe into Gonzalez's activities in the trade of animal leather is still ongoing.

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Who is Nancy Gonzalez of Colombia?

A Nancy Gonzalez crocodile leather handbag is quite expensive and sought after by celebrities, influencers, and the rich and famous. The Associated Press reported that these bags sell for around $10,000 in designer stores in Europe and the U.S.

Gonzalez started in the fashion industry by making belts. She later transitioned to handbags in the late 1990s after a trip to New York.  She was encouraged by a designer store executive to build up a collection, which would soon make the Colombian fashion designer world-famous.

Her bags were used by characters in the hit HBO show "Sex and the City," which sped up the Colombian's fame in the fashion industry.

Gonzalez has received a long list of celebrity clients, including Salma Hayek, Britney Spears, and Victoria Beckham. However, it is still unknown whether the bags her celebrity clients bought were illegally smuggled to the U.S. or not.

Nancy Gonzalez rose high in the fashion industry, as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York even held an exhibition of her work in 2008.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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