A Chinese man has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York for falsely labelling live turtles as fake toys prior to exporting them in delivery boxes on a weeks-long journey to Hong Kong.

He has been identified as Wei Qiang Lin of Brooklyn, New York.

According to court records, between August 2023 and November 2024, Lin exported to Hong Kong approximately 222 parcels containing around 850 turtles, but he labelled the boxes as containing “plastic animal toys,” among other things.

The approximate 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,' read a statement issued by the US Department of Justice

Lin also exported 11 other parcels filled with reptiles, including venomous snakes.

Lin primarily shipped eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles, native U.S. species which feature colourful markings — a prized feature in the domestic and foreign pet market, particularly in China and Hong Kong.

Both are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as a result of the illegal export of tens of thousands of box turtles every year during the 1990s.

Lin is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 23. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the illegal activity.

As part of his plea, Lin also agreed to abandon any property interest in the reptiles seized during the investigation.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo for the Western District of New York made the announcement.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — with help from other federal and local law enforcement entities including Customs and Border Protection, Postal Inspections Service, and Homeland Security Investigations — investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Rachel Roberts and Senior Trial Attorney Ryan Connors of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango for the Western District of New York are prosecuting the case.