A 54-year-old man from Hong Kong, Sai Keung Tin, has pleaded guilty to charges related to the smuggling of endangered turtles following a wildlife inspection in Torrance, California. Tin entered his plea in Los Angeles federal court to four counts of illegally exporting merchandise, as reported by NBC Los Angeles. Authorities found 40 eastern box turtles in parcels falsely labeled as almonds and chocolate cookies, which were wrapped in socks and sent to an address linked to Tin in Hong Kong.
According to CBS News Los Angeles, this species of turtle, native to the eastern and midwestern United States and parts of Canada, is protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and one of the packages contained a deceased turtle, the shipments were intercepted this year at a facility in Torrance, which was headed to 'Ji Yearlong,' an alias believed to belong to Sai Keung Tin.
The smuggling operation has ties to a larger international scheme, linking Tin to Kang Juntao, a 27-year-old from Hangzhou City, China, who was previously convicted of related charges and served 38 months in federal prison. These connections paint a broader picture of illicit wildlife trade that spans continents, yet despite significant busts, the flow of illegal wildlife products continues, as per details provided by Hoodline.
Representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service warned that the trade in turtles is not solely for pets but encompasses demands for food and traditional medicine; furthermore, it highlights how this trade can introduce risks like ranavirus, which can infect both reptiles and humans, federal wildlife officials say the turtles can potentially spread ranavirus, an infectious disease among reptiles and amphibians that can be contracted by humans and lead to symptoms such as congestion and fever, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Sai Keung Tin now potentially faces up to a decade in federal prison for each count he's been charged with if proven guilty.
