The occupants in the three motel rooms in Mannford kept telling the housekeeper not to worry about cleaning their rooms.

But after about a week, the housekeeper decided the rooms were going to need some attention. She opened a motel room door and broke open one of the biggest turtle smuggling operations in the United States.

“At some point, she stuck her head in the door and saw the tubs of all the turtles stacked up,” said Carlos Gomez, Tulsa County game warden.

The motel called Mannford police who in turn contacted the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.