Who is Wei Qiang Lin? Chinese Man Faces US Prison for Smuggling 850 Turtles in Socks

A Chinese citizen, Wei Qiang Lin, has pleaded guilty in a US federal court for illegally exporting hundreds of rare turtles to Hong Kong. The US Department of Justice announced the case on Monday, revealing shocking details of the smuggling operation.

According to court documents, Lin shipped more than 200 parcels between August 2023 and November 2024. These boxes contained around 850 eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles – both species native to the United States and highly sought after by exotic pet collectors in China.

Authorities said the shipments were cleverly disguised. The boxes were falsely labelled as “plastic animal toys” or other harmless goods. Inside, officials found the turtles stuffed into knotted socks, making it harder for inspectors to detect them during routine checks.

US Fish and Wildlife Service officers confirmed that these turtles are considered a status symbol in parts of China due to their unique shell patterns. Many wealthy collectors keep them as pets, pushing up their market value. The seized animals were valued at around $1.4 million.

Both the eastern box turtle and the three-toed box turtle are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This means trading them internationally requires special export permits. The eastern box turtle is also listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Authorities also discovered that Lin had shipped 11 more parcels containing reptiles, including venomous snakes. The illegal wildlife trade has been a long-standing concern, with similar cases surfacing in recent years.

Lin is scheduled for sentencing on December 23, 2025 and faces a maximum prison term of five years. In a similar incident earlier this year, another Chinese smuggler received 30 months in prison for trafficking over 2,000 eastern box turtles, which were also hidden in socks and mislabelled as food items like almonds and cookies.

The US government has vowed to intensify inspections at borders and crack down on wildlife trafficking, calling it a serious threat to biodiversity and animal welfare.