Lawless Planet: Inside the Sting Operation to Catch Florida’s Alligator Thieves
Host: Zach Goldbaum
Featured Guests: Jeff Babauda (aka Curtis Blackledge), Rebecca Renner, Nick Cox
Episode Date: January 12, 2026

Episode Overview

This investigative episode of Lawless Planet dives deep into the world of Florida’s alligator egg poaching and the explosive undercover operation—“Operation Alligator Thief”—to take down a group of poachers stealing from the state’s delicate ecosystem. Host Zach Goldbaum guides listeners through the perilous undercover role taken on by FWC Officer Jeff Babauda (known to the poachers as “Curtis Blackledge”), the insular culture of gator farming, the intricacies of alligator conservation, and the sting that shattered an illicit egg-laundering ring. Alongside this caper, the episode highlights complex environmental and ethical issues, the personalities on both sides of the law, and the broader threats to the Everglades.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction: Alligator Egg Collecting in the Wild

• Start of Operation (00:00–04:27)
  • Host sets the scene: Sweltering Florida swamps, high-risk egg collecting.
  • Jeff Babauda, undercover as “Curtis Blackledge,” partners with veteran collector Tommy.
  • Encounter: An aggressive female alligator charges them as they extract eggs, underscoring the danger of the job.
    • Quote: “Damn, this gator here is a bitch, man. She’ll catch you.” – Tommy via Jeff Babauda (01:18)
    • Quote: “What would have happened if that thing grabbed me, put me in the canal, rolled me, killed me?” – Jeff Babauda/Curtis Blackledge (04:03)
  • Revelation: Curtis Blackledge isn’t real—he’s Jeff Babauda, an undercover wildlife officer.

2. The Florida Everglades: Habitat & Conservation Crisis

• Environmental Backdrop and Recovery (05:35–07:50)
  • Everglades as a unique ecosystem; home to 350+ species.
  • Alligators decimated by hunting/habitat loss, then rebounded thanks to regulation and conservation (including regulated egg harvesting).
    • “It is a true conservation success story, one that has been maintained by a delicate balance…” – Zach Goldbaum (07:22)
  • 2010s: State notices missing wild alligator hatchlings—possible poaching or overharvesting.

3. A Market-Driven Problem: Storms, Economics, and Temptation

• Price Spike and Temptation (08:10–09:43)
  • After hurricanes in Louisiana decimate nests, Florida egg prices increase five-fold.
  • Minor regulatory mistakes can have cascading ecological effects.
    • “If we take all the eggs from an area, all of those alligators are gone... That can cause a domino effect.” – Rebecca Renner (10:01)

4. Undercover Operation: Becoming Curtis Blackledge

• Building a Cover Identity (11:00–15:56)
  • FWC wants an inside man; Jeff is initially reluctant (“not just no, but hell no”) but takes the challenge (12:50)
  • Transformation: Growing out hair, looking "scruffy."
    • “I had to break away from being a law enforcement officer and being a Delta Bravo… and build that persona.” – Jeff Babauda (14:33)
  • Moves into a rundown fish farm, sets up “Sunshine Alligator Farms,” learns via YouTube how to be a gator farmer.

5. Breaking into the ‘Good Ol’ Boys’ Alligator Farming Club

• Winning Trust & Encountering Suspects (17:13–23:18)
  • Distributes business cards to attract business, secures permits under his alias.
  • Befriends Wayne Nichols (a brash, talkative hunter known for incriminating himself while telling stories).
    • Notable quote: “People will fly from all over the world to kill a 10-footer in Florida... They’ll pay damn good money for it.” – Jeff Babauda (19:32)
  • Insight into staged trophy gator hunts for wealthy tourists (“Wayne’s happy because he got five grand.”) (21:16)
  • Attempts to blend in by being pushy; meets Robert Albritton (main suspect).

6. The Sting: Gathering Evidence and Facing Ethical Challenges

• Infiltrating the Operation (23:18–34:31)

  • Robert Albritton, suspect, proposes using Jeff's farm.
  • Jeff pairs with crew to legally collect eggs, but they start bending rules (e.g., opening nests prematurely, stretching permit totals).
  • Jeff points out many are “loose with the rules,” sometimes from ignorance, not malice.
    • “Most people…are just really not educated about the law. I wrote a lot of warnings.” – Jeff Babauda (27:19)
  • Surveillance: Jeff wears wire, plants cameras, carefully navigates risky friendships.

• Crucial Evidence Acquisition (33:21–34:31)

  • Finally, Jeff photographs Robert’s locked aluminum clipboard—“the golden egg sheet,” the paper trail showing egg laundering and violations.

7. Sting Concludes: Arrests and Aftermath

• The Take-Down (35:39–37:19)
  • May 24, 2017, FWC announces arrests: 9 suspects, 44 felonies including racketeering (up to 30 years in prison).
    • “We’re done with it. Poaching eggs…we’re going to come at you hard.” – Nick Cox, Statewide Prosecutor (36:26)
  • Wayne Nichols (illegal hunting and ibis shooting), Robert Albritton (racketeering and egg poaching), and others charged.

8. Layered Morality: Are Poachers Always “Bad Guys”?

• A Nuanced Portrait (38:23–38:55)

  • Rebecca Renner argues individuals like Wayne genuinely care about the environment despite their lawbreaking.
    • “Some people may not look like our comrades in environmentalism, but they actually are.” – Rebecca Renner (38:23)

• Greater Threats: Legal Environmental Harm (38:55–39:45)

  • Host points out legal real estate development is shrinking the Everglades far more than poaching.
  • Being present in nature is the first step toward saving it.

9. Reflections: Duty, Legacy, Personal Toll

• Jeff’s Retrospective (39:45–41:29)
  • Mixed feelings but pride in upholding the law, belief in the cause of protecting Florida’s wildlife.
    • “I did it for a cause…this, to me, is what it was all about.” – Jeff Babauda (40:39)
  • After two and a half years undercover, he retires, happy to return to a peaceful life.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Being Undercover:
  • “You might want to grow your hair out…” – Lt. George Wilson advising Jeff on his undercover persona (13:44)
• Poaching Temptation:
  • “It can be a lot of money, especially when your investment is a tank of gas and the risk of being bitten wild.” – Rebecca Renner (09:31)
• On Ethical Gray Areas:
  • “It's people who are already licensed to collect the eggs, collecting more than they are paying the state to collect.” – Rebecca Renner (10:50)
• “The Golden Egg Sheet”:
  • “You’ve got the magic numbers.” – Lt. Wilson to Jeff Babauda upon seeing the incriminating paperwork (34:14)
• On Motivation:
  • “Some people may not look like our comrades in environmentalism, but they actually are.” – Rebecca Renner (38:23)
• On the Everglades:
  • “There’s so much left to save, it’s not a lost cause.” – Rebecca Renner (39:17)
• Whatever It Takes:
  • “We’re going to come at you, and we're going to come at you hard.” – Nick Cox (36:27)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00–04:27 — Swamp scene, alligator encounter, reveal of undercover cop.
• 05:35–07:50 — Everglades background, gator conservation success.
• 08:10–10:31 — Market pressures, Louisiana hurricane impact, regulatory system.
• 11:00–15:56 — Jeff’s origin story, undercover transformation.
• 17:13–21:16 — Winning trust, trophy hunt scam with Wayne.
• 22:26–26:56 — Breaking into egg collecting rings, first suspicions of poaching.
• 27:47–34:31 — Relationship building, technical surveillance, evidence gathering.
• 35:39–36:39 — Press conference, charges, state’s message to poachers.
• 38:23–39:17 — Complexity of poachers’ motivations.
• 40:39–41:29 — Jeff’s reflection on his work and legacy.

Tone and Storytelling

• Blend of hard-boiled detective story, environmental exposé, and personal memoir.
• Language is candid, pragmatic, sometimes colorful (“What the fuck am I gonna do here?” – Jeff Babauda (30:04)).
• Sympathy for both lawmen and those caught in the sting; ecological protection framed as a nuanced and ongoing battle.
• Critical of systemic, legal threats (development) as well as illegal ones (poaching).

Summary Takeaway

This episode offers a gripping window into Florida’s shadowy alligator egg trade—and the complexities of enforcing environmental law in tight-knit, tradition-bound communities. It’s a story of high-risk undercover work, the blurred lines between criminality and local survival, and the ongoing struggle to protect a fragile ecosystem. The saga of “Curtis Blackledge” and Operation Alligator Thief stands as both a suspenseful crime tale and a reflection on the broader context shaping the fate of the Everglades.