Latest news with #WeiQiangLin
New York Times
2 days ago
- New York Times
Man Who Tried to Export 850 Turtles Hidden in Socks Pleads Guilty
A man in Brooklyn pleaded guilty on Monday to attempting to export around 850 turtles, worth about $1.4 million, by wrapping them in socks or diapers and labeling them 'plastic animal toys,' the authorities said. The man, Wei Qiang Lin, of China, began exporting the turtles to Hong Kong in August 2023, and over the next 15 months tried to export 222 packages containing the live creatures, according to the Department of Justice. He also tried to ship other animals, including lizards and venomous snakes, the authorities said. Mr. Lin's turtle trade was exposed in the fall of 2023 after an undercover agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coordinated the sale of turtles with him through Facebook and Mr. Lin shipped them, according to a criminal complaint. He faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 on a charge related to illegal animal trafficking. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 23. A lawyer for Mr. Lin did not immediately return a request for comment. According to prosecutors, after the authorities discovered Mr. Lin's trade, they tailed him for months, intercepting packages he sent that were labeled 'gift,' 'sweater' or 'ladies skirt,' but which instead contained turtles that were bound and taped inside knotted socks or diapers and smeared with minty 'toothpaste-like' substances to throw off detection dogs. Mr. Lin exported largely Eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles, which are native to the United States, the authorities said. The creatures, which can reach up to half a foot long and live for up to a century, have colorful markings that make them desirable to collectors, particularly in parts of Asia where they can sell for $2,000, or up to $20,000 if they have rare markings. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Man caught smuggling 850 turtles worth £1million into Hong Kong in socks
Wei Qiang Lin, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, is accused of "falsely labelling live turtles as fake toys" prior to exporting them in delivery boxes on a weeks-long journey to Hong Kong" A man is facing jail in the USA after trying to smuggle 850 turtles worth around £1m into Hong Kong. Wei Qiang Lin, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, is accused of "falsely labelling live turtles as fake toys" prior to exporting them in delivery boxes on a weeks-long journey to Hong Kong, the US department of justice has said. Court records state that "between August 2023 and November 2024, Lin exported to Hong Kong approximately 222 parcels containing around 850 turtles, but he labeled the boxes as containing 'plastic animal toys,' among other things'. It comes after an octopus 'climbs out of aquarium tank' and 'tries to eat boy, 6,' in front of his mum. Officials "intercepted the turtles during a border inspection and found them bound and taped inside knotted socks within the shipping boxes," a statement said. It added that Lin had "also exported 11 other parcels filled with reptiles, including venomous snakes". The boxes contained eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles, which are native species to the USA, and feature colourful markings. The statement said the markings make the animals "a prized feature in the domestic and foreign pet market, particularly in China and Hong Kong". The Department of Justice added that "both are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as a result of the illegal export of tens of thousands of box turtles every year during the 1990s." Lin pleaded guilty in US District Court for the Western District of New York for falsely labelling live turtles as fake toys before exporting them. Lin "faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 (£184,000) or twice the gain or loss from the illegal activity". Lin is scheduled to be sentenced on December 23. "As part of his plea, Lin also agreed to abandon any property interest in the reptiles seized during the investigation," the DOJ said. The case was investigated by the US Fish and WIldlife Service, with help from federal and local law enforcement including Customs and Border Protection, Postal Inspections Service and Homeland Security Investigations. It comes after Chinese national Sai Keung Tin, also known as Ricky Tin, was sentenced to 30 months in prison in March for smuggling more than 2,100 eastern box turtles. The animals were also hidden in socks, packaged in boxes labeled as almonds and chocolate cookies. At the time, authorities estimated that each turtle could have been sold for $2,000 (£1,472), meaning the total value of the smuggled reptiles came to a whopping $4.2million (£3million).
South Wales Guardian
3 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
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.
Glasgow Times
3 days ago
- Glasgow Times
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.
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Leader Live
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.
