Malaysian faces wildlife smuggling charges in U.S
© 2000 Reuters Limited
September 1, 2000
SAN FRANCISCO - A Malaysian who allegedly headed an international wildlife crime ring that smuggled 300 protected animals such as the rare Komodo Dragon into the United appeared in court on Wednesday after a two-year extradition battle.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California said the Mexican government turned over Keng Liang "Anson" Wong, 42, on Tuesday night to answer charges stemming from a September 1998 indictment.
"Today's surrender of Anson Wong, which was preceded by cooperation in his arrest and favourable decisions by the Mexican government regarding his extradition, reflect an unprecedented level of coordination between the Unites States and Mexico," Lois Schiffer, a U.S. attorney general, said in a statement.
Wong faces 51 federal charges that include conspiracy, smuggling and money laundering. Mexican authorities arrested Wong in September, 1998 after undercover agents posing as animal traffickers lured him to Mexico City.
Between 1995 and 1998 Wong allegedly ran a wildlife import-export business that trafficked in illegal shipments of protected reptiles from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines worth nearly $500,000.
Federal authorities say Wong and others used human couriers to secretly transport wildlife in airline baggage and also sent animals in fraudulently labeled Federal Express shipments. Of the some 300 animals allegedly smuggled into the United States, 38 are considered endangered.
The ring also trafficked in several extremely endangered reptile species in the wild, including the Komodo Dragon and the rarest tortoise species on earth, the Madagascan Spurred Tortoise, also known as the Ploughshare Tortoise.
Authorities have also charged Beau Lee Lewis of Buckeye, Ariz., Jeffery Miller and Robert Paluch, both of Mesa, Ariz., and Yuk Wah "Oscar" Shiu of Hong Kong. Burroughs has pleaded guilty to several charges and awaits sentencing, while the others currently await trial, officials said.