Overview
- Investigators allege the group captured 107 Ryukyu pond turtles along with a Holst's frog and two Kumejima ground geckos across northern Okinawa and Kumejima between September 4 and October 3.
- Customs officials say 70 turtles were boxed, mislabeled as items such as biscuits, and prepared for international express mail to Hong Kong before detection during export screening.
- Okinawa District Customs filed a criminal complaint with the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office against three suspects over the attempted export, and prosecutors accepted the case.
- Police identified the re-arrested suspects as Lin Suyi, Liu Kunling, Chen Songlun, and Pan Haojie, reported as having Hong Kong addresses, with most denying the allegations or remaining silent.
- Seized animals are being held at prefectural facilities, and conservation experts caution that any return to the wild requires disease screening and genomic analysis to match original populations under protections that include CITES and national monument status.