Brooklyn man sentenced to prison for smuggling protected reptiles

BUFFALO — A FEDERAL JUDGE has sentenced Wei Qiang Lin, a Brooklyn resident and Chinese national, to two years in prison for illegally exporting protected turtles, snakes and lizards to Hong Kong after falsely labeling the shipments as “plastic animal toys,” the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday. Between August 2023 and November 2024, Lin shipped about 222 parcels containing roughly 850 turtles, with an estimated market value of $1.4 million.

Authorities intercepted the animals during customs inspections, finding them bound and taped inside socks. Lin also attempted to export protected Abronia lizards and venomous green tree vipers, all safeguarded under international wildlife treaties.

Lin was fined $2,339 and prosecuted as part of Operation Terrapene, a federal crackdown on turtle smuggling syndicates. The Buffalo Zoo used some seized turtles to establish the first assurance colony for the rare Cora mud turtle. The sentence follows Lin’s August guilty plea, previously reported by the Brooklyn Eagle.

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