A California teen has been sentenced to six months in prison for smuggling in a Bengal tiger cub from Mexico.

The defense attorney for 18-year-old Luis Valencia told the court Tuesday in San Diego before his sentencing that his client had had a lapse in judgment and wanted the endangered tiger as a pet.

RELATED: Tiger Cub Intercepted At Otay Border Is Healthy

But prosecutors argued Valencia's cell phone data showed he was running an animal smuggling business and boasted about fetching thousands for monkeys, jaguars and lions.

The 6-week-old cub was found on the passenger-side floor in Valencia's car in August at a San Diego border checkpoint.

Tigers are endangered and it's illegal to import them without a permit.

The tiger cub was named Moka and now lives at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

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