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Malaysian Men Sentenced for Smuggling Endangered Wildlife
PORTLAND, Ore. – Two Malaysian nationals, Eoin Ling Churn Yeng, 35, and Galvin Yeo Siang Ann, 33, have been sentenced to federal prison for conspiring to smuggle endangered wildlife into the District of Oregon.
The men, who are co-owners of an online business, used mail parcels to smuggle five orangutan skulls and nine other protected species of wildlife, including bear claws and macaque skulls, into the District of Oregon from 2008 through 2015.
The investigation into Ling and Yeo began in 2013, when a routine search of an international package revealed a helmeted hornbill mandible that was being shipped to a residence in Forest Grove, Oregon. Agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated an undercover operation named “Operation Pongo,” for the orangutan genus Pongo. The investigation revealed that Ling and Yeo were co-owners of an online business that has smuggled approximately $95,000 worth of endangered wildlife into the U.S. since 2004.
Undercover Service agents communicated with Ling and Yeo and purchased three orangutan skulls, four helmeted hornbill skulls, one CITES-protected rhino hornbill head, one ESA-protected babirusa (wild pig) skull, one CITES-protected langur skull, and one ESA-protected dugong (marine mammal) rib over the course of the operation. In December 2015, Ling and Yeo traveled to Portland to meet an associate, but agents with Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration arrested them soon after their arrival.
The men were sentenced to six months in prison, fines totaling $25,000.00, and ordered to perform 240 hours of community service. They will also be required to serve one year of supervised release after their prison term.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Deputy Chief Edward Grace praised the agencies involved in the investigation and prosecution, saying, “Orangutans are one of the rarest great ape species on Earth, and the desire to possess a skull from one as tourist art or trophy in someone’s collection will not be tolerated. The Service will continue to fully investigate and bring to justice those individuals who continue to perpetrate criminal acts involving orangutans and other protected wildlife species.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Ryan W. Bounds, and was conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with assistance from various other agencies.
Key Facts
- State: Oregon
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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