Prison time for turtle smuggling

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