A Hong Kong man was sentenced on Friday after wildfire inspectors in Torrance caught him attempting to smuggle eastern box turtles.
54-year-old Sai Keung Tin will spend the next two years and six months behind bars.
Tin pleaded guilty in Los Angeles federal court in December to four counts of exporting merchandise contrary to law, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The original complaint alleged Tin illegally aided in the exportation of 40 eastern box turtles from the United States to Hong Kong. The turtles were sent in four boxes containing eight to 12 turtles each, wrapped in socks. One of the 40 turtles was found deceased.
The turtles were headed to “Ji Yearlong,” a name believed to be one of Tin’s aliases.
To smuggle the turtles through customs, Tin falsely labeled the packages containing almonds and chocolate cookies.
The eastern box turtle, a subspecies of the common box turtle, is native to sections of the eastern and midwestern United States and Canada. The turtles often feature colorful markings, making them prized pets in China and Hong Kong.
The turtles are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an international agreement to protect fish, wildlife and plants that are or may become threatened with extinction.
The United States and China are both part of this agreement.
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