3 days ago
Chinese man pleads guilty in US to smuggling protected turtles worth US$1.4 million
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Lin Wei Qiang of Brooklyn pleaded guilty to exporting more than 220 parcels containing around 850 eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles.
NEW YORK - A Chinese man faces up to five years in prison for trying to smuggle protected turtles worth more than US$1 million (S$1.29 million) from the United States to Hong Kong.
Lin Wei Qiang of Brooklyn pleaded guilty on Aug 11 in a federal district court in New York to exporting more than 220 parcels containing around 850 eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles.
The US Justice Department said the live turtles had been wrapped in socks for the weeks-long journey and the boxes with the reptiles had been labeled as containing 'plastic animal toys'.
The turtles, which had a market value of US$1.4 million, were intercepted by law enforcement at a border inspection, it said.
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,' the Justice Department said in a statement.
It said they are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Sentencing was set for Dec 23. Lin faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to US$250,000. AFP
