A Queens man has been charged with smuggling protected turtles through the U.S. mail in boxes labeled “Snacks.”
Federal authorities say the 42 turtles seized in the mislabeled packages at Kennedy Airport were being illicitly traded — not eaten.
Fish and Wildlife Service agents intercepted five packages shipped from Hong Kong on May 4 and May 11 at the airport’s mail center. The packages were addressed to Hsien Lin Hsu, 45, of Oakland Gardens, and contained bags of noodles and candies to conceal the little critters.
The turtles were positively identified by a curator at the American Museum of Natural History as Chinese Box Turtles, Black Breasted Leaf Turtles, Indian Roofed Turtles, South American River Turtles, Reeves Turtles, and Chinese Big Headed Turtles which are all protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Agents executed a search warrant at Hsu’s home and seized 135 live turtles. Hsu, who will be arraigned Thursday in Brooklyn Federal Court, admitted that he was trafficking turtles with contacts in Hong Kong and knew he was supposed to have a special permit to do so.
Hsu told the agents that each package he shipped would usually ship two turtles hidden inside socks and surrounded by packs of candy.
