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.
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The post Man Who Tried to Export 850 Turtles Hidden in Socks Pleads Guilty appeared first on New York Times.
