CANAAN — A federal grand jury has indicted a Chinese woman for allegedly attempting to smuggle eastern box turtles, a protected wildlife species, from the United States to Canada, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced Thursday.
Wan Yee Ng, 41, of Hong Kong, is charged with attempting to export merchandise contrary to law. The indictment stems from an incident on June 26 near Lake Wallace, an international body of water straddling the Vermont-Canada border in Canaan.
According to authorities, U.S. Border Patrol agents intercepted Ng as she prepared to launch an inflatable kayak containing a duffle bag filled with 29 turtles. The turtles, preliminarily identified as eastern box turtles, were individually wrapped in socks.
Investigators had been monitoring Ng due to suspicious rental activity on both sides of the border. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police alerted U.S. agents when two individuals, believed to include Ng’s spouse, launched a watercraft from the Canadian side of the lake.
Eastern box turtles are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). They are particularly prized in the pet trade markets of China and Hong Kong.
If convicted, Ng faces up to 10 years in prison. Her arraignment has not yet been scheduled.
U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest praised the cooperation between U.S. Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the investigation.
