Authorities: Man arrested in gator sale

Call it a gator raid.

A Syosset man was busted in the illegal sale of an alligator Thursday after the Suffolk Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals caught him advertising the reptile for purchase on Craigslist, according to the SPCA.

Khang Vo, 20, of Sterling Court, made arrangements to sell the alligator to undercover law enforcement agents on Thursday night in the parking lot of the Melville park-and-ride off the Long Island Expressway, Suffolk SPCA Chief Roy Gross said.

After the transaction was completed, Suffolk SPCA detectives arrested him on a charge of possession of a dangerous animal. He also was charged with possessing a wild animal by state Department of Environmental Conservation officers.

Vo was also charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Reptiles like the footlong alligator, which Vo sold for an undisclosed price, should be licensed by the state, Gross said. The SPCA was investigating where he obtained the reptile.

Vo posted $250 bail; he was scheduled to be arraigned April 4 in First District Court in Central Islip.

The Suffolk County SPCA will care for the alligator until it can be taken to a reptile sanctuary out of state.