Overview
- A federal judge in Buffalo sentenced Brooklyn resident Wei Qiang Lin to two years in prison on Dec. 24, 2025, and imposed a $2,339 fine.
- Court filings state he shipped about 222 parcels to Hong Kong between August 2023 and November 2024 containing roughly 850 turtles valued at about $1.4 million.
- Prosecutors said he falsely declared boxes as “plastic animal toys” and hid live reptiles taped inside knotted socks, violating the Lacey Act.
- Intercepted wildlife included CITES-protected Abronia lizards as well as venomous green tree vipers and palm pit vipers.
- Officials said the case stemmed from the USFWS-led Operation Terrapene with CBP, the Postal Inspection Service, and HSI, and seized Cora mud turtles now support a Buffalo Zoo assurance colony.