On Monday, Hsien Lin Hsu, 46, of Queens, pleaded guilty in Federal District Court in Brooklyn to trafficking in the protected turtles in violation of the Endangered Species Act and an international wildlife treaty. Among the protected species that Mr. Hsu tried to smuggle into New York, prosecutors said, were 10 Indian roofed turtles, four Chinese big-headed turtles, 37 yellow-margined Chinese box turtles and 12 black-breasted turtles. According to a criminal complaint unsealed last spring after Mr. Hsu was arrested, such species are susceptible to commercial exploitation, high nest mortality and the illegal exotic pet trade. At a plea hearing on Monday, Mr. Hsu admitted that he had brought the turtles into the country knowingly and without the proper permits. Once the turtles were discovered at the airport in ordinary packages addressed to Mr. Hsu, a wildlife service scientist determined that they were protected.

Source: New York Times February 14, 2017 00:00 UTC