A Chinese citizen has pleaded guilty in the US district court for smuggling $1 million worth of protected turtles.
According to BBC, Wei Qiang Lin, on Monday, August 11, accepted exporting around 850 protected turtles in socks to Hong Kong.
As per the US Justice Department, Lin smuggled hundreds of protected turtles between August 2023 and November 2024 to the special administrative region of China in more than 200 parcels by falsely labelling them as toys.
He mainly exported eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles, US species wanted by some pet owners, with unique markings on their shells, and they are seen as a status symbol in China.
US authorities figured seized turtles were worth a total of $1.4 million (£1 million) on the market.
Lin, who was caught during a law enforcement border inspection, will face up to five years in jail. His sentencing is scheduled for December 23.
Notably, another Chinese national was sentenced to 30 months in jail in March for smuggling more than 2,000 eastern box turtles.
At that time, US authorities estimated that each of the turtles wrapped in socks and packed in boxes could have been sold for $2,000 (£1,500).
