Turtle Smuggler Sentenced to Prison: A Deep Dive into Wildlife Trafficking
A Chinese national, Sai Keung Tin, also known as Ricky Tin, has been handed a 30-month prison sentence for his involvement in a large-scale turtle smuggling operation. Federal prosecutors successfully argued that Tin orchestrated the illegal transportation of over 2,000 turtles from the United States to Hong Kong over a five-year period. The case highlights the ongoing challenges posed by wildlife trafficking, a lucrative black market that threatens vulnerable species and disrupts ecosystems.
Tin, 54, faced justice in a U.S. court after being apprehended at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in February 2024. His arrest followed a comprehensive investigation that revealed his central role in smuggling eastern box turtles, a species under protection in the U.S., for the international pet trade.
The legal proceedings against Tin culminated in a four-count indictment in March 2024, accusing him of smuggling eastern box turtles for profit. He eventually pleaded guilty in December to four counts of exporting merchandise contrary to law, acknowledging his culpability in the illegal operation.
The government’s sentencing memorandum painted a detailed picture of Tin’s involvement, revealing that he actively aided and abetted turtle smugglers within the United States from February 2018 to June 2023. During this period, Tin trafficked an estimated 2,100 turtles, shipping them to three different addresses in Hong Kong. The sheer scale of the operation is staggering, with the smuggled reptiles valued at approximately $4.2 million, based on a conservative market valuation of $2,000 per turtle.
Following Tin’s arrest, prosecutors disclosed his involvement in a specific incident in June 2023, where he “knowingly and illegally aided” in the exportation of 40 eastern box turtles. These turtles were packed into four separate packages, which were subsequently intercepted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents.
The packages were discovered at an international mail facility in Torrance, California. The contents of the packages were deliberately mislabeled, falsely claiming to contain harmless items like almonds and chocolate cookies. However, wildlife inspectors detected the deception, uncovering the cruel reality hidden within.
Three of the packages contained between eight and 12 live eastern box turtles each. The fourth package held seven live turtles and one deceased turtle. The methods used to transport the turtles were particularly disturbing. Each turtle was bound tightly in socks to restrict its movement, a measure taken to prevent detection during transit. The packages were addressed to "Ji Yearlong," a name believed to be one of Tin’s aliases, and were destined for Tin’s residence in Hong Kong.
The interception of these packages led to the issuance of a search warrant for Tin’s cell phones. This search yielded crucial information, revealing the extent of Tin’s planning and involvement. A special agent also investigated property records and discovered that the name listed as the sender on the packages was fabricated.
Information extracted from Tin’s cell phones indicated that he regularly traveled to the U.S. specifically to engage in turtle smuggling. Prosecutors revealed that Tin had meticulously planned these trips, intending to visit locations in New Jersey, Texas, and Washington. His aim was to familiarize himself with tourist attractions, creating a false narrative to present to authorities if he were ever apprehended.
According to prosecutors, Tin’s ultimate plan involved paying cash for turtles, shipping them to various locations across the country, and then illegally exporting them to Hong Kong. He possessed detailed information on how to mask the turtles’ scent by soaking them and how to bind them securely in socks with tape to avoid detection.
Further investigation revealed that Tin had connections with Kang Juntao, an international turtle smuggler from Hangzhou, China. Kang was apprehended in Malaysia and extradited to the U.S. in 2019. He was eventually sentenced to 38 months in prison and one year of supervised release on a federal money laundering conviction in 2021.
Prosecutors argued that Kang recruited poachers and suppliers within the U.S. to collect turtles and send them domestically to middlemen. These middlemen would then consolidate the turtles into packages and export them to Hong Kong. Court documents indicate that Kang was responsible for the shipment of at least 1,500 turtles from the U.S. to Hong Kong between June 2017 and December 2018, with a market value exceeding $2.25 million.
The middlemen orchestrated the shipment of approximately 46 packages containing turtles from New York and New Jersey. These packages were routed through an international mail facility at John F. Kennedy International Airport before being sent to addresses in Hong Kong, including those associated with Tin. Despite Kang’s arrest, law enforcement continued to intercept packages addressed to Tin and other smugglers.
Prosecutors emphasized that Tin primarily trafficked eastern box turtles, a subspecies of the common box turtle. These turtles are native to forest regions in the eastern U.S., with some isolated populations in the Midwest. The Department of Justice explained that turtles with vibrant and distinctive markings are highly sought-after as pets, especially in China and Hong Kong. They are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international agreement aimed at regulating trade in endangered species. Both China and the United States are signatories to CITES.
While the eastern box turtle is not classified as an endangered species at the national level in the U.S., some states, including Michigan, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, have listed it as a species of special concern. In Maine, the species is considered endangered.
The National Wildlife Federation has identified several factors contributing to the decline of eastern box turtle populations, including habitat loss, traffic collisions, and the pet trade.
Tin’s sentencing is just the latest in a series of wildlife smuggling cases that have captured headlines in recent years. Earlier in March, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey stopped a man who had concealed a turtle in his pants. The man, traveling from Pennsylvania, triggered an alarm during a body scan, leading to the discovery of the live turtle wrapped in a towel.
In February, California wildlife officials announced the convictions and fines of three individuals for the unlawful possession of protected and endangered animals. Their crimes were uncovered after they revealed to plain-clothes wildlife officers that they were smuggling an endangered sea turtle skull on a flight.
In August 2023, a person was arrested after Texas Border Patrol agents found seven spider monkeys hidden inside a backpack. In May 2023, authorities at Miami International Airport discovered two dozen rare baby parrots in a smuggling operation.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has identified wildlife trafficking as the fourth largest organized crime in the world, ranking behind drug trafficking, counterfeiting, and human trafficking. This illicit trade poses a significant threat to biodiversity and requires coordinated efforts to combat it effectively. The sentencing of Sai Keung Tin sends a clear message that the U.S. government is committed to holding wildlife traffickers accountable for their actions and protecting vulnerable species from exploitation.
