Woman caught smuggling 29 protected turtles from US to Canada

A woman from Hong Kong was caught for trying to smuggle 29 protected turtles from the United States into Canada.

Wan Yee Ng, 41, entered the guilty plea Friday in U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vermont to a single count of attempting to smuggle eastern box turtles from Vermont to Canada.

Eastern box turtles are a protected species in Vermont as well as in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan and New Hampshire.

According to an affidavit, Ng was arrested on June 28 at an Airbnb in Canaan, Vermont. 

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Police said that the 41-year-old was caught red-handed as she was loading up her inflatable kayak to make the trek over to the Canadian side of Lake Wallace.

Police said they were notified by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that two other people, including Ng's suspected husband, had begun to paddle an inflatable watercraft from the Canadian side of the lake towards the U.S.

Authorities said that she had 29 eastern box turtles inside a duffle bag that were wrapped in socks, the affidavit said.

Eastern box turtles are known to be sold on the Chinese black market for $1,000 each, the affidavit stated.

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During the investigation, police seized her cellphone and showed that she had tried to smuggle the turtles into Canada so that they could eventually be sold for profit in Hong Kong.

Ng pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of unlawfully attempting to export and send 29 eastern box turtles out of the United States, contrary to law.

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She has been held in custody since her arrest in June and will remain in custody pending her sentencing. She is scheduled to be sentenced on December 13 and faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.