Kunming, May 6 (Xinhua) -- On the 6th, this reporter learned from the Forest Public Security Bureau of Xishuangbanna Prefecture in Yunnan Province that the bureau recently cracked a major wildlife smuggling case, in which a local man went to Laos to buy 21 live flat-breasted turtles and smuggled them back to China with black socks, which was seized by the Mohan Xinmin Border Inspection Station.
The picture shows the suspect identifying a smuggled flat-breasted turtle. Photo by Huang Yanxian
Flat-breasted turtles are amphibians, mainly distributed in southern China, which are extremely rare in the wild, and are distributed abroad in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and other places, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora lists them as Appendix I species.
On the 3rd of this month, the Shangyong Police Station of the Forest Public Security Bureau of Xishuangbanna Prefecture received an alarm from the Mohan Xinmin Border Inspection Station: "We seized a batch of live turtles during the investigation, and I hope you will come to receive them." ”
The picture shows the criminal suspect identifying the means of transport. Photo by Huang Yanxian
After investigation, at the end of April this year, Lu Moumou, who lives in Mengla County, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, and Yang Moumou, partnered to sell flat-breasted turtles. Mr. Lu is responsible for funds and sales, and Mr. Yang is responsible for contacting the source of goods and transporting goods back to China from abroad.
Previously, Mr. Yang and Mr. Lu had purchased 2 flat-breasted turtles (about 1.4 kilograms) from local villagers in Xishuangbanna for 1400 yuan (hereinafter referred to as "RMB"), and sold them to Guangdong Province at a price of 2100 yuan after the acquisition, making a profit of 700 yuan.
After making a huge profit, Yang Moumou contacted a friend in Laos and told him that he wanted to buy flat-breasted turtles. He drove a two-wheeled motorcycle to Laos to find a person named "Rock Dragon" (Dai meaning uncle) to buy flat-breasted turtles, and successively bought 21 flat-breasted turtles for 3,080 yuan, and wrapped 21 live flat-breasted turtles in black socks and put them in their bags. Yang Moumou was seized when he rode to the Border Inspection Station of Mohan Xinmin in China.
At present, the two criminal suspects have been criminally detained by the Xishuangbanna Prefecture Forest Public Security Bureau in accordance with the law, and the case is being further handled.