Wei Qiang Lin, a resident of Brooklyn, New York, has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for trafficking reptiles. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo after Lin pleaded guilty to falsely labeling live turtles, snakes, and lizards as fake toys in order to export them to Hong Kong. In addition to the prison term, Lin was fined $2,339, which matched the amount of cash he had at the time of his arrest.
According to court documents, from August 2023 through November 2024, Lin shipped approximately 222 parcels containing about 850 turtles with an estimated market value of $1.4 million. The packages were labeled as “plastic animal toys” and other items in violation of the Lacey Act. Authorities intercepted the shipments during customs inspections and found the turtles bound and taped inside knotted socks within shipping boxes.
Lin also attempted to export protected Abronia lizards as well as venomous green tree vipers and palm pit vipers. These species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officers intercepted additional packages sent by Lin that contained rare Cora mud turtles.
The Buffalo Zoo has used some of the seized turtles to establish its first assurance colony for this species. This initiative aims to help repopulate wild populations if they become unsustainable.
Principal Deputy 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 announced the sentencing.
Lin’s case was part of Operation Terrapene, an ongoing effort led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in coordination with federal agencies such as Customs and Border Protection, Postal Inspections Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and local law enforcement agencies to identify turtle smugglers and dismantle organized syndicates.
