Hong Kong Man Gets 30 Months for Turtle Smuggling

Sai Keung Tin, a 54-year-old man from Hong Kong, has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for smuggling protected eastern box turtles from the United States to Hong Kong. Tin was arrested in February 2024 and pleaded guilty in December 2024 to four counts of illegal exportation of merchandise. The turtles, wrapped in socks and falsely labeled as food items, were intercepted at a mail facility in Torrance, California. Authorities discovered Tin was part of an illegal wildlife trade network, trafficking turtles highly valued in China. The eastern box turtles, native to the U.S., are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The case underscores the demand for exotic pets and the ongoing challenges in wildlife trafficking enforcement.