Chinese national sentenced to 2 years for trafficking hundreds of live turtles, snakes, other reptiles from NY to Hong Kong

A Chinese national has been given a two-year prison sentence for trafficking various live reptiles to Hong Kong and labeling the boxes they were being shipped in as "toys."

Wei Qiang Lin of Brooklyn was shipping live turtles, snakes, lizards, and other reptiles to Hong Kong between August 2023 and November 2024, according to court records. Lin shipped roughly 222 packages to Hong Kong containing an estimated 850 turtles, according to the DOJ. To evade detection, he described the contents as “plastic animal toys” and other false items, a violation of the Lacey Act. Authorities estimated the reptiles’ total market value at about $1.4 million. During customs inspections, officers discovered the animals tightly restrained and taped inside knotted socks placed within the parcels.

Investigators also determined that Lin tried to ship protected Abronia lizards as well as venomous green tree vipers and palm pit vipers. These species are safeguarded under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). US Fish and Wildlife Service agents further intercepted shipments containing rare Cora mud turtles. Those seized turtles were later used by the Buffalo Zoo to establish the world’s first assurance colony for the species, intended to support recovery efforts if wild populations decline.

The sentencing was announced by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, US Attorney Michael DiGiacomo for the Western District of New York, and Doug Ault, Assistant Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement.

Lin’s case arose from Operation Terrapene, a continuing US Fish and Wildlife Service initiative that works with federal and local partners to identify turtle smuggling operations and break up sophisticated trafficking networks. Participating agencies include Customs and Border Protection, the Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.