Woman caught smuggling 29 protected turtles from US to Canada

A Hong Kong woman has been arrested for trying to smuggle 29 protected turtles from the United States to Canada.

Wan Yee Ng, 41, pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vermont, to a single count of attempting to smuggle box turtles from eastern Vermont into Canada.

Eastern box turtles are a protected species in Vermont as well as Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan and New Hampshire.

According to an affidavit, Ng was arrested June 28 at an Airbnb in Canaan, Vermont.

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An endangered male eastern box turtle named “Tank” who resides at the Franklin Park Zoo. (John Wilcox/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)

Police said the 41-year-old woman was caught red-handed while loading her inflatable kayak to head to the Canadian side of Wallace Lake.

Police said they were informed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that two other people, including Ng's alleged husband, had begun paddling an inflatable boat from the Canadian side of the lake toward the United States.

Authorities said she had 29 eastern box turtles in a duffel bag wrapped in socks, according to the affidavit.

Box turtle, Fairfax, Virginia. (Robert Knopes/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Eastern box turtles are known to be sold on the Chinese black market for $1,000 each, the affidavit states.

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During the investigation, police seized her cellphone and showed she attempted to smuggle the turtles into Canada so they could eventually be sold for a profit in Hong Kong.

Robert Knopes/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images (Robert Knopes/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Ng pleaded guilty Friday to one count of illegally attempting to export and ship 29 eastern box turtles out of the United States, contrary to the law.

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She was taken into custody since his arrest in June and will remain in detention until his sentencing. She is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 13 and faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.