New York business owner convicted of selling unregistered pesticide in Maryland

BALTIMORE -- A New York business owner was found guilty of recklessly transporting a probable carcinogen without documentation and knowingly selling an unregistered pesticide in Maryland, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

According to court evidence, the owner and operator of Maliba Trading LLC, 58-year-old Idrissa Bagayoko, drove from New York to Maryland on September 29, 2021, and sold two boxes of an unregistered pesticide Sniper DDVP.

Police later stopped Bagayoko in Elkton, Maryland with 18 more boxes of Sniper DDVP, according to court records.

An investigation later revealed that Bagayoko obtained a total of 1,728 bottles of Sniper DDVP and drove from New York to Maryland to sell the unregistered pesticide.

After testing the samples, officials found each bottle contained the chemical dichlorvos, which was classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a probable human carcinogen, court records show.

According to court records, Bagayoko transported over 330 pounds of Dichlorvos without shipping papers which would alert first responders that they were dealing with a probable carcinogen in the event of an accident.

Charges were brought against Bagayoko under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Hazardous Material Transportation Act.

FIFRA ensures that pesticides sold in the U.S. are safe, effective and have correct labeling. The Hazardous Material Transportation Act provides federal regulation of hazardous substances transported in interstate commerce.

The illegal transport of dichlorvos without required shipping papers carries a maximum prison sentence of five years and a fine of up to $250,000, according to court officials. The illegal sale of an unregistered pesticide carries a maximum prison sentence of one year and a fine of up to $25,000.