Worldwide turtle smuggler sentenced in DTLA – NBC Los Angeles

A Hong Kong man was sentenced on Friday after wildfire inspectors in Torrance caught him making an attempt to smuggle jap field turtles.

54-year-old Sai Keung Tin will spend the subsequent two years and 6 months behind bars.

Tin pleaded responsible in Los Angeles federal court docket in December to 4 counts of exporting merchandise opposite to regulation, in keeping with the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace.

The unique grievance alleged Tin illegally aided within the exportation of 40 jap field turtles from america to Hong Kong. The turtles had been despatched in 4 containers containing eight to 12 turtles every, wrapped in socks. One of many 40 turtles was discovered deceased. 

The turtles had been headed to “Ji Yearlong,” a reputation believed to be one in every of Tin’s aliases.

To smuggle the turtles by way of customs, Tin falsely labeled the packages containing almonds and chocolate cookies.

The jap field turtle, a subspecies of the frequent field turtle, is native to sections of the jap and midwestern United States and Canada. The turtles typically characteristic colourful markings, making them prized pets in China and Hong Kong.

The turtles are protected by the Conference on Worldwide Commerce in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, a global settlement to guard fish, wildlife and vegetation which might be or could develop into threatened with extinction.

America and China are each a part of this settlement.