Man Admits Guilt in Turtle Smuggling Case from the U.S. to Hong Kong

LOS ANGELES—A 54-year-old individual admitted guilt on Friday to federal charges following the discovery of packages containing protected eastern box turtles by wildlife inspectors at a mail facility in Torrance, which were intended for one of the defendant’s aliases in China.

Sai Keung Tin, hailing from Hong Kong, submitted his plea in a Los Angeles federal court to four counts of unlawfully exporting merchandise, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The indictment reveals that Tin unlawfully facilitated the export of 40 eastern box turtles from the United States to China. Wildlife inspectors intercepted four packages addressed to “Ji Yearlong,” a name suspected to be one of Tin’s aliases, meant for shipment to his residence in Hong Kong, according to court documentation.

Tin deceptively labeled the packages containing the endangered turtles as containing almonds and chocolate cookies.

Three packages were found to contain eight to twelve live eastern box turtles each, all packed in socks, according to legal documents. The fourth package held seven live eastern box turtles and one deceased turtle. Additionally, an investigation into property records revealed that the name of the sender on all packages was fraudulent, as stated by federal prosecutors.

The eastern box turtle, a subspecies of the common box turtle, is originally from the forested areas of the eastern United States and has some isolated populations in the Midwest. Turtles with vibrant markings are particularly sought after in both domestic and international pet markets, notably in China and Hong Kong.

The eastern box turtles are safeguarded under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an international accord aimed at protecting species that are or could become endangered. Both the United States and China are signatories to this treaty, as noted by prosecutors.

According to an affidavit in this case, Tin was linked to Kang Juntao, a 27-year-old from Hangzhou City, China, who is a convicted criminal and known turtle smuggler. Kang was responsible for recruiting poachers and suppliers within the United States to facilitate the domestic shipment of turtles to middlemen, who would then consolidate the turtles into additional packages for export to Hong Kong.

The turtles were wrapped in socks to safeguard their shells and prevent movement that could draw the attention of officials, authorities reported.

Court documents indicate that from June 2017 to December 2018, Kang orchestrated the shipment of at least 1,500 turtles, valued at over $2.25 million, from the United States to Hong Kong. Middlemen transported around 46 packages containing turtles from New York and New Jersey, routed through an international mail facility at JFK, to various addresses in Hong Kong, including Tin’s.

Kang has already pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge after being extradited from Malaysia in 2019 and subsequently sentenced to 38 months in federal prison. Since Kang’s apprehension and conviction, law enforcement has persistently intercepted packages directed to Tin and others, as detailed in court documents.