New York Man Pleads Guilty To Attempting To Smuggle 850 Protected Turtles Worth Over $1 Million

Wei Qiang Lin, who is from Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York after he tried to smuggle over 220 parcels to Hong Kong that featured close to 850 eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles.

A part of Lin’s turtle smuggling operation was branding the live animals as “plastic animal toys” among other items, putting them in delivery boxes to ship. The process of shipping from the United States to Hong Kong can potentially last weeks. (RELATED: Idiot Influencer Ends Up In Hospital After Putting Octopus On His Head)

Between Aug. 2023-Nov. 2024, Lin tried to smuggle 222 parcels featuring turtles into Hong Kong, per the U.S. Department of Justice. The market value of the turtles was $1.4 million.

“Law enforcement intercepted the turtles during a border inspection and observed them bound and taped inside knotted socks within the shipping boxes. Lin also exported 11 other parcels filled with reptiles including venomous snakes,” wrote the DOJ.

A New York resident has admitted he tried to smuggle protected turtles worth more than $1 million from the United States to Hong Kong by shipping them in boxes labeled “plastic animal toys.” https://t.co/bPGFG478Fl pic.twitter.com/qyd9LwgjZN

— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) August 13, 2025

Lin’s biggest target was the eastern box turtle and three-toed box turtle because of China and Hong Kong viewing their “colorful markings” as “a prized feature in the domestic and foreign pet market,” per the DOJ. Both species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Lin faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a possible $250,000 fine and possibly further punishment. His sentencing is set for Dec. 23.