Man faces jail for smuggling turtles worth $1.4 million in socks to Hong Kong
The man, Wei Qiang Lin, 'labeled the boxes as containing 'plastic animal toys,' among other things,' the DOJ said Monday in a statement. 'Law enforcement intercepted the turtles during a border inspection and observed them bound and taped inside knotted socks within the shipping boxes,' it added.
'Lin also exported 11 other parcels filled with reptiles including venomous snakes,' the department said.
Lin pleaded guilty at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York "for falsely labeling live turtles as fake toys prior to exporting them in delivery boxes on a weeks-long journey to Hong Kong," the DOJ said.
It added that he 'primarily shipped eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles, native U.S. species which feature colorful markings — a prized feature in the domestic and foreign pet market, particularly in China and Hong Kong.'
The creatures are also in high demand in Asian markets like mainland China and Thailand, where people consider turtles from other countries and continents as desirable exotic pets, according to the Association for Asian Studies.
Both are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The animals Lin smuggled from mid-2023 to late 2024 were valued at $1.4 million, the Department of Justice said.
Lin is facing a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the illegal activity when he is sentenced on Dec. 23, according to the DOJ.
'As part of his plea, Lin also agreed to abandon any property interest in the reptiles seized during the investigation,' the department said.
In a similar case in March, another Chinese national, Sai Keung Tin, also known as Ricky Tin, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for smuggling more than 2,100 eastern box turtles, the DOJ said at the time.
The animals were also hidden in socks and packed in boxes labeled as almonds and chocolate cookies. Authorities estimated at the time that each turtle could have been sold for $2,000, bringing the total value of the smuggled reptiles to $4.2 million.
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Politico
an hour ago
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Yahoo
an hour ago
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Justice Department lawyer charged & fired after throwing Subway sandwich at federal law enforcement officer
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THE ZIZ CULT Authorities are investigating the connection between murders across the country to the 'Zizians' — a cult of highly-educated trans vegan 'rationalists.' Jack 'Ziz' LaSota 14 Jack 'Ziz' LaSota has allegedly influenced his followers to kill. The transgender leader of the group, who has posted about 'transhumanism' and other topics. Some followers say LaSota is dead, but that seems to be a plot to avoid authorities. LaSota used the name 'Andrea Phelps.' Alexander 'Somni' Leatham and Amir 'Emma' Borhanian 14 Alexander 'Somni' Leatham 14 Amir 'Emma' Borhanian Curtis Lind (victim) 14 Curtis Lind (victim) Two Zizians who are accused of attacking Curtis Lind in Solano County, Calif., because they were squatting on his property. Lind, who lost an eye in the attack, shot and killed Borhanian, but was going to testify against Leatham and another accused assailant and 'Ziz' follower, Suri Dao. Maximilian Bentley Snyder 14 Maximilian Bentley Snyder in Solano County Criminal Court for his arraignment on Jan. 28, 2025. Special to the Chronicle Snyder has been arrested for killing 82-year-old Lind to prevent him from testifying at the trial. Lind was stabbed and had his throat slit on the street outside his home in Vallejo, Calif. on Jan. 17. Teresa 'Milo' Consuelo Youngblut and Felix 'Ophelia' Bauckholt 14 Teresa 'Milo' Consuelo Youngblut allegedly shot and killed Maland. Teresa Youngblut / Instagram 14 Felix 'Ophelia' Bauckholt David Maland (victim) 14 AP Snyder was engaged to be married to Youngblut. Youngblut and Bauckholt were stopped by Border Patrol agent David Maland on Jan. 20 in northern Vermont. Youngblut allegedly shot at Maland, who was killed. Bauckholt was killed by return fire. Youngblut was arrested. Michelle Jacqueline Zajko 14 Michelle Jacqueline Zajko is a person of interest in the deaths of her parents Rita and Richard Zajko. no credit Rita Zajko and Richard Zajko (victims) 14 Rita Zajko (victim) 14 Richard Zajko (victim) Authorities say the gun Youngblut used in the border patrol attack was bought by Michelle Jacqueline Zajko — the trans nonbinary adult child of Rita and Richard Zajko, who were found killed in mysterious and unsolved circumstances in Delaware County, Pa. in early 2023. Zajko, whose blog shows connections to the Ziz cult, has not been charged with a crime. LaSota and two others face weapons and drug charges in Maryland, where they were arrested in February, while LaSota faces additional federal charges of being an armed fugitive. Another member of the group who is charged with killing the landlord in California had applied for a marriage license with Youngblut. 14 U.S. Border Patrol agent David Maland is recognized with military honors before his burial at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, on Feb. 22, 2025. AP Michelle Zajko, whose parents were killed in Pennsylvania, was arrested with LaSota in Maryland, and has been charged with providing weapons to Youngblut in Vermont. Vermont abolished its state death penalty in 1972. The last person sentenced to death in the state on federal charges was Donald Fell, who was convicted in 2005 of abducting and killing a supermarket worker five years earlier. But the conviction and sentence were later thrown out because of juror misconduct, and in 2018, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.
