Myrtle Beach Safari owner, ‘Tiger King’ star arrested by FBI in Horry Co., official says
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — The owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, was arrested by the FBI Friday, according to an agency spokesperson.
The FBI said they cannot provide any other details about the arrest until a hearing.
Sources close to the investigation tell ABC15 that the charges relate to money laundering and there will be a hearing on Monday.
He is being held at J. Reuben Long Detention Center, according to their online records, but no charges are listed.
Antle, who is most notoriously known for his appearance on the Netflix series, “Tiger King,” faces a slew of charges announced back in October 2020 after a wildlife trafficking investigation.
He’s facing a felony count of wildlife trafficking, a felony count of conspiracy to traffic in wildlife, and 13 misdemeanor charges, which include the nine counts of cruelty to animals stemming from an investigation by the Virginia attorney general that found that Antle had trafficked lion cubs between Virginia and South Carolina with the owner of the now-defunct roadside zoo Wilson’s Wild Animal Park.
Read more from our affiliate WPDE here.
