Rats trained to detect illegal wildlife trade, vests help in the fight. Sai Keung Tin sentenced to 30 months for smuggling over 2,000 turtles to Hong Kong. The turtles valued at $4.2 million. He used socks to hide turtles which were intercepted by U.S. agents. Kang Juntao was another smuggler that Tin was connected to, who recruited poachers in the U.S. and shipped turtles to Hong Kong. Eastern box turtles, a protected species, were primarily trafficked by Tin and are highly prized as pets in China. Tin had detailed plans to avoid detection while smuggling turtles, including soaking them in water, restricting their movement with socks, and using fake names for shipping. Wildlife authorities have been intercepting packages addressed to Tin and other smugglers. Recent wildlife smuggling incidents have included a man hiding a turtle in his pants at an airport, people smuggling an endangered sea turtle’s skull, spider monkeys hidden in a backpack, and baby parrots discovered in a smuggling operation. Wildlife trafficking is a major organized crime, ranking 4th after drug trafficking, counterfeiting, and human trafficking.
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