Reptiles trafficking plot: New York man tries to smuggle 850 turtles; $1.4 million shipment foiled

A New York man has admitted to a wildlife smuggling plot, attempting to send hundreds of protected turtles worth over $1 million to Hong Kong in boxes labelled “plastic animal toys.”

Wei Qiang Lin, a Chinese national based in Brooklyn, admitted in federal court on Monday to attempting to ship over 220 parcels containing about 850 eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles, the US justice department said., as cited by AP

Prosecutors said the turtles, with an estimated market value of $1.4 million, were discovered during a border inspection. Officers found them bound and taped inside knotted socks and hidden within the shipping boxes.

Eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles, known for their colourful markings, are a “prized feature” in the domestic and foreign pet market, especially in China and Hong Kong, prosecutors noted.

The species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Authorities revealed that Lin had shipped 11 other parcels containing reptiles, including venomous snakes.

He is due to be sentenced on 23 December and could face up to five years in prison.