Man admits trying to smuggle 850 protected turtles worth £1 million to Hong Kong
The turtles, with an estimated market value of 1.4 million dollars (£1 million), were intercepted by law enforcement at a border inspection, prosecutors said. Officers saw them bound and taped inside knotted socks within the shipping boxes.
Eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles feature colourful markings and are a "prized feature" in the domestic and foreign pet market, particularly in China and Hong Kong, prosecutors said.
The reptiles are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Lin also shipped 11 other parcels filled with reptiles, including venomous snakes, prosecutors said.
He faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced on December 23.
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Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Man admits trying to smuggle 850 protected turtles worth £1 million to Hong Kong
Wei Qiang Lin, a Chinese national who lives in Brooklyn, pleaded guilty in federal court in New York on Monday to attempting to export more than 220 parcels containing around 850 eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles, according to the US justice department. The turtles, with an estimated market value of 1.4 million dollars (£1 million), were intercepted by law enforcement at a border inspection, prosecutors said. Officers saw them bound and taped inside knotted socks within the shipping boxes. Eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles feature colourful markings and are a "prized feature" in the domestic and foreign pet market, particularly in China and Hong Kong, prosecutors said. The reptiles are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Lin also shipped 11 other parcels filled with reptiles, including venomous snakes, prosecutors said. He faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced on December 23.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Man admits trying to smuggle 850 protected turtles worth £1 million to Hong Kong
A New York resident has admitted he tried to smuggle protected turtles worth more than one million US dollars from the US to Hong Kong by shipping them in boxes labelled 'plastic animal toys'. Wei Qiang Lin, a Chinese national who lives in Brooklyn, pleaded guilty in federal court in New York on Monday to attempting to export more than 220 parcels containing around 850 eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles, according to the US justice department. The turtles, with an estimated market value of 1.4 million dollars (£1 million), were intercepted by law enforcement at a border inspection, prosecutors said. Officers saw them bound and taped inside knotted socks within the shipping boxes. Eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles feature colourful markings and are a 'prized feature' in the domestic and foreign pet market, particularly in China and Hong Kong, prosecutors said. The reptiles are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Lin also shipped 11 other parcels filled with reptiles, including venomous snakes, prosecutors said. He faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced on December 23.
Sunday World
3 days ago
- Sunday World
Gary ‘The Gimp' Thompson allegedly harassed woman while claiming to be a good guy
Earlier this year we revealed the sordid image which helped prove to the court that Thompson was a sick sex offender Convicted sex beast Gary 'The Gimp' Thompson allegedly harassed a woman at the same time he whinged to a newspaper that he was a new man. Despite the 42-year-old crying to a newspaper recently that he was a reformed character who had turned his back on crime, he's due to appear at Antrim Magistrates Court for carrying out an alleged campaign of harassment against a woman around the same time. We can reveal Thompson – who was jailed for seven years for his role in the robbery and subsequent murder of Chinese takeaway owner Nelson Cheung in Antrim in 2015 – was supposed to appear last week in court but the court was told the summons had not been served on him. Gary Thompson News in 90 seconds - 11th August 2025 It has since been confirmed the alleged harassment of a woman in February this year is due to be heard in court in the coming weeks. Thompson is still facing nine months in jail for repeatedly sexually assaulting the daughter of a woman he'd been dating but later died tragically after he fed her drugs. He's currently out on bail awaiting an appeal which is also due to be heard in the next few weeks. If he loses that case he risks having his jail sentence increased but he has vowed to clear his name. The fresh charge states he carried out a campaign of harassment against the woman on February 19 and 20. Three days later – having already been found guilty of three sex attacks and failing to have his story told in this newspaper – he appeared in another paper claiming not only was he innocent but that he was a changed person. He also blamed his convicted brother David 'Monster' Thompson for his woes. 'I have changed, the old Gary Thompson would have been back in jail a long time ago but I'm getting my life back on track,' whined Gary despite waiting to be sentenced for the sex attacks. 'I just want to get on with life and for him (Monster) and his associates to leave me alone, he's not my brother anymore.' He also incredibly claimed he wanted to plant a tree in memory of murder victim Nelson Cheung and to 'educate people about the dangers of drugs and knives'. Antrim brothers David and Gary Thompson had been publicly feuding for years after David gave a statement to the PSNI that helped send his little brother Gary to jail for seven years for his role in the robbery and subsequent murder of Mr Cheung. David 'Monster' Thompson Gary also had David sent back to prison last year after accusing him of assaulting him – though he failed turn up at court and the charges were dismissed. Gary has continued to deny he was guilty of any sex offences – however a judge believed the young witness who took the stand and told Ballymena Magistrates Court that he preyed on her three times. Earlier this year we revealed the sordid image which helped prove to the court that Thompson was a sick sex offender. The disturbing image – cropped by us – showed the sex pest shoving his partially exposed crotch into the face of the victim's mum during a party – on the same night he assaulted the 25-year-old victim. One of those depraved assaults took place on the same night he wore the oversized pink swimsuit (left) which he admitted himself in court was so big his genitals were hanging out. Another attack took place, shockingly, in the hospital when the victim's mum lay dying close by. Jailing Thompson back in March, Judge Broderick said the evidence against him was 'credible and reliable' and further that it was clear from the victim impact statement that 'she has sustained significant emotional trauma'. He told Thompson that while any intended appeal 'is entirely a matter for you,' there were worrying aspects to the case in that the defendant had tried to contact the victim and he had a previous conviction at Antrim Crown Court in 2017 for witness intimidation. After his newspaper interview about how he was a decent guy who was trying to get his life back on track we were contacted by a former partner, who has a child with him, who described Gary as a 'scummy leech'. 'He left me in debt, struggling on maternity pay,' she told us. 'I took a loan out for him in good faith that he would pay me back as he wanted to invest in a van to start a business. 'He was very controlling, I wasn't allowed to go out with my friends for drinks as he said that would get attention from men. He constantly accused me of cheating. He isolated me from my friends and family to which I had no support at a vulnerable time in my life. 'I fled that relationship with the clothes on my back and two bottles for my baby. I told him that I was taking the baby for a walk as it was one of the very few things I was allowed to do by myself. 'I turned my Snapchat location off and jumped on a train home. I never felt so low in my life. I had to escape. 'He would belittle me and make comments about my weight, said that I'm slow. It was pure emotional abuse and financial abuse he put me through. The post-separation abuse, he found my new address which was hidden and harassed me. I have relocated three times in the last year due to him. 'The police are useless. I've reported him many times, and they just take note.' Thompson will have his appeal against his sex assault convictions heard on September 5 and a fresh date for his appearance for the alleged harassment has not yet been released.
