Canadian Nabbed With 51 Turtles In His Pants

The scheme was uncovered last month but was only revealed this week in
US federal court documents cited in a Friday report by the Toronto
Globe and Mail.

According to the newspaper, Canadian border officials arrested Kai Xu
as he tried to cross into Windsor, Ontario from Detroit, Michigan in
August, and handed him over to US authorities.

"Xu was found to have 51 live turtles taped to his person," a US Fish
and Wildlife Service said in an affidavit cited by the Globe and Mail.

The seized turtles were North American varieties including eastern box
turtles, red-eared sliders and diamondback terrapins that sell for as
much as $800.

A second Canadian, Lihua Lin, was arrested on Wednesday at the Detroit
airport, bound for Shanghai with more than 200 North American pond
turtles in his checked luggage. He had been dropped off at the airport
by Xu.

Xu and Lin have been charged with smuggling and other related
offenses, and face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.