British luxury yacht builder Sunseeker International has agreed to pay a $200,000 fine after admitting to using illegally obtained Burmese teak on yachts imported into the US.
The fine follows an investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a prosecution by attorneys for the Southern District of Florida under the Lacey Act relating specifically to two yachts priced at approximately $2.98 million and $1.07 million, respectively.
Sunseeker International Limited and Sunseeker USA Sales Co. Inc. (Sunseeker) pleaded guilty with Sunseeker agreeing to pay a fine of $200,000 and to implement a compliance plan, among other penalties.
“South Florida is one of the world’s great gateways for luxury vessels, but our ports are not open to illegal goods,” said US attorney Jason Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida.
“This guilty plea, fine and compliance requirements are a direct step toward accountability.”
Illegal imports
In 2024, Sunseeker pleaded guilty in the UK to criminal offences under the UK Timber Regulation for illegal imports of Myanmar teak and was fined £358,759.64 by a judge at Bournemouth Crown Court.
The judge said Sunseeker was aware of impending rule changes to timber imports after Brexit which changed its status from ‘trader’ to ‘operator’ and left it in breach of regulations, calling it a ‘systemic failure’.
Prosecutors said the teak that Sunseeker imported into the US came from the illegal teak imports charged in the UK case.
Clear message
The issue was first raised by the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency in 2018 which has welcomed the latest guilty pleas.
“Given that the two yachts involved in the US case were priced at approximately $2.98 million and $1.07 million, the £200,000 fine is effectively little more than a financial slap on the wrists,” said EIA forests campaigns leader Faith Doherty.
“Nevertheless, this outcome still sends a clear message that companies cannot ignore the risks associated with sourcing teak from Myanmar.”
The Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE), the sole legal exporter of teak from Myanmar, is sanctioned by the EU, UK and US.
Sunseeker is set to be sentenced on August 20 2026.
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