2 Russians jailed for smuggling endangered turtles in Singapore

INGAPORE, Oct. 15 (NsNewsWire) — Two Russian nationals were sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment for smuggling 206 endangered turtles, said the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) on Wednesday, reports Xinhua.
Thirty-eight year-old Pavlychev Maksim and 34 year-old Radkov Aleksei were detained at Changi Airport in July, when they were in transit while travelling from the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka to Surabaya, Indonesia, said AVA in a news release.
An aviation security officer at Changi Airport had found four luggage bags stuffed with 206 live black pond turtles, which are a critically-endangered species protected under the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Investigations showed that the men had been approached by a friend to deliver the turtles to Indonesia. The turtles, which are estimated to be worth 90,000 Singapore dollars (64,8297 U.S. dollars), are believed to be in high demand in the exotic pet trade, according to AVA.
AVA said that those found importing, exporting or re-exporting CITES species, including their parts and products, without a permit could be fined up to 50,000 Singapore dollars (35,461 U.S. dollars) per species and/or sentenced to up to two years in jail. Enditem