A New York man pleaded guilty to smuggling turtles worth approximately $1.4 million to Hong Kong, along with venomous snakes and other reptiles.

Wei Qiang Lin of Brooklyn pleaded guilty to "falsely labeling live turtles as fake toys" and "exporting them in delivery boxes on a weeks-long journey to Hong Kong," the Department of Justice said in an Aug. 11 news release .

Lin exported approximately 222 parcels containing around 850 turtles valued at $1.4 million between August 2023 and November 2024, according to court records. He labeled the boxes as containing "plastic animal toys," among other objects, the news release said. Lin is also accused of exporting "11 other parcels filled with reptiles including venomous snakes."

Turtles were hidden in socks

Law enforcement found the turtl

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