A woman tried to smuggle 29 eastern box turtles, a protected species, into Canada, but was ‘caught’, and her case is now being tried.
According to CBS News, the 41-year-old woman pleaded guilty to the crime on Friday, but the case dates back to June.
According to the international press, Wan Yee Ng was arrested on the morning of June 28 when she was in an Airbnb house and was preparing to enter an inflatable kayak on Lake Wallace.
Authorities explain that the woman had a travel case with her, which contained 29 live turtles of this species, individually wrapped in socks.
According to CBS News, these turtles are sold on the Chinese black market for a thousand dollars each, around 913 euros.
Two other people, including a man believed to be the suspect’s husband, had already started sailing on that side, towards the United States, and also in an inflatable kayak.
The woman’s cell phone was seized and agents were able to see that she had already tried to smuggle the animals into Canada, so that they could later be sold in Hong Kong.
The woman now risks ten years in prison or a fine of US$250,000. She will be sentenced in December.
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