This undated handout image released by District Court for the Western District of New York from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (NSFWS) shows eastern box turtles intercepted during a border inspection. A Chinese man faces up to five years in prison for trying to smuggle protected turtles worth more than $1 million from the United States to Hong Kong. Wei Qiang Lin pleaded guilty on August 11 in a federal court in New York to exporting more than 220 parcels containing around 850 eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles. (Photo by USFWS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HANDOUT / United States Fish and Wildlife Service" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
A Chinese man faces up to five years in prison for trying to smuggle protected turtles worth more than US$1mil from the United States to Hong Kong.
Wei Qiang Lin, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty on Monday 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 Justice Department said the live turtles had been wrapped in socks for the weeks-long journey and the boxes with the reptiles had been labelled as containing “plastic animal toys.”
The turtles, which had a market value of US$1.4mil (RM5.9mil), were intercepted by law enforcement at a border inspection, it said. — AFP
