A Canadian citizen was sentenced to 57 months in prison for smuggling turtles from the United States in violation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Kai Xu, 27, of Windsor, Ontario, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for six counts of smuggling turtles, some of which were endangered, from the United States.
The crimes occurred in 2014, when Xu entered the United States from Canada and traveled to Fed Ex and UPS facilities in the metro-Detroit area, where he retrieved packages containing live turtles.
Xu then illegally smuggled the turtles out of the country using three methods, including repackaging them in snow boots, taping them to his legs and groin, and packaging over 1000 turtles into suitcases and shipping them directly to Shanghai.
The turtles were recovered by U.S. Fish and Wildlife special agents, who had been investigating Xu’s activities.
U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced the sentencing, which was handed down by Judge John Corbett O’Meara in Ann Arbor.
Xu was also ordered to pay over $17,000 in restitution for the care of the turtles.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wildlife Enforcement Directorate within Environment and Climate Change Canada, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations.
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Key Facts
- State: Michigan
- Category: Wildlife Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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