A woman was caught attempting to smuggle 29 protected turtles across a Vermont lake into Canada by kayak. Wan Yee Ng, 41, was apprehended at an Airbnb in Canaan, Vermont, while loading an inflatable boat, according to a Border Patrol agent’s affidavit.
Border Patrol agents found Eastern box turtles, each wrapped in socks, hidden inside Ng’s duffle bag, as reported by Fox News. The turtles, valued at around $1,000 each on the Chinese black market, were intended for illegal sale in Hong Kong, according to phone records.
Authorities were tipped off by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who observed Ng’s husband and another person paddling from the Canadian side of Lake Wallace toward the U.S.
Ng, originally from Hong Kong but residing in Canada, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to attempting to smuggle the protected turtles. She faces a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, with sentencing scheduled for December.
