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Chinese nationals plead guilty to illegally shipping turtles from US to Hong Kong
🇨🇳 China /Crime & Justice

Chinese nationals plead guilty to illegally shipping turtles from US to Hong Kong

From South China Morning Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Outcome reported
  • Two Chinese nationals have pleaded guilty in the U.S. to illegally shipping over 500 turtles to Hong Kong, violating wildlife protection laws.
  • The defendants, Kin Keung Ho and Lihua Owen Ma, face significant prison sentences and fines for their roles in the smuggling operation.
  • They are accused of exporting various native U.S. turtle species, falsely labeling the packages as containing crystals or stones.

Two Chinese nationals residing in Staten Island, New York, have admitted guilt in a scheme to illegally ship more than 500 native U.S. turtles to Hong Kong.

Kin Keung Ho pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges related to the smuggling operation, following a similar plea by Lihua Owen Ma on July 1. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the development, highlighting the violation of American wildlife laws.

During the plea hearing, the government proffered that Ho shipped approximately 99 packages containing 578 turtles.

— US Department of JusticeDetailing the scale of the illegal turtle shipment.

During his plea hearing, the government presented evidence that Ho was responsible for shipping approximately 99 packages containing 578 turtles. To conceal the illegal activity, Ho reportedly mislabeled the contents of these packages as crystals or stones.

Court documents reveal that both Ho and Ma were charged with exporting several species of U.S. native turtles. These included eastern box turtles, western box turtles, three-toed box turtles, spotted turtles, and diamondback terrapins. The pair now faces potential penalties of up to five years in prison and a fine of US$250,000, or double their illicit economic gain. Sentencing dates have not yet been set.

Ho falsely labelled the contents as containing crystals or stones.

— US Department of JusticeExplaining the deceptive methods used in the smuggling operation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by South China Morning Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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