A New York man who tried to send hundreds of live turtles falsely labeled as plastic animal toys to Hong Kong has been sentenced to two years in federal prison. Wei Qiang Lin, a 55-year-old Chinese national living in Brooklyn , was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Buffalo on Dec. 23, following his guilty plea in August . He was also fined $2,339 – the amount of U.S. currency he was pocketing when he was arrested, federal authorities said . While it wasn’t your classic shell game, Lin’s operation was upended after customs inspectors intercepted more than 200 parcels destined for Hong Kong between August 2023 and November 2024. Inside the shipping boxes were about 850 turtles worth about $1.4 million, bound and taped within socks that were tied in knots. The creatures were primarily eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles, colorfully marked species native to the U.S. and highly prized among exotic pet traders in China − Hong Kong especially, ...
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