Man faces at least 4 years behind bars in Hong Kong after being convicted of smuggling scales of endangered pangolins
- Hong Endian, 52, told by judge ‘only and irresistible inference’ was that he had colluded with others to bring the scales of endangered species to city
- But co-accused Huang Congmei found not guilty after court accepts she was unaware of the criminal nature of her actions
A jobless man faces at least four years in jail after he was found guilty of smuggling 440kg (970lbs) of scales from endangered pangolins into Hong Kong, the biggest bust for which a conviction has been secured.
Hong Endian was warned by a District Court judge on Thursday that he faced a long prison term for bringing in the scales from rare pangolins, also known as “scaly anteaters”, said by government experts to have involved the deaths of 1,220 of the animals.
“The prosecution provided sufficient circumstantial evidence to satisfy the requirements of the case,” Judge Clement Lee Hing-nin said.
He added that, because of the large quantity involved, he would consider a penalty of “not less than four years” in prison.
Experts from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said the scales had an estimated value of between US$68,200 and US$220,440.
Lee added that prosecutors had also proved “the only and irresistible inference” that Hong, 52, colluded with others to import pangolin scales without a licence, whether knowingly or not.
But Hong’s co-accused, Huang Congmei, 55, walked free from court after the judge accepted she was “honestly and reasonably” ignorant of the likely consequences of her actions.
The pair were charged with conspiring to import specimens of endangered species under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance.
Hong was also charged with possession of specimens of endangered species.
The court earlier heard that customs officials seized four consignments of parcels declared to contain mascara from Sarawak, Malaysia, between December 2018 and January 2019, addressed to Hong.
Hong Kong customs arrests 2 over alleged smuggling of protected animals and parts
The two were arrested on January 2 that year after they had received six parcels.
Customs officials found six more parcels containing pangolin scales in a later raid on a building in To Kwa Wan.
Both defendants had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Hong told police when interviewed that he had been asked by a friend in mainland China to pick up the parcels, with a 200 yuan (US$28) payment for each package.
He was instructed to take the parcels to the To Kwa Wan premises so his friend could pick them up.
Huang said she had offered to help Hong take the parcels to To Kwa Wan because she regarded him as a friend and they both came from Quanzhou in Fujian province on the mainland.
The case summary also showed that Huang could not read or write Chinese and was unable to understand the delivery notes on the parcels.
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The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources said all eight pangolin species are protected, with their status listed from “vulnerable” to “extremely endangered”.
Pangolins, whose scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine and Vietnamese medicine, are said to be the most poached and trafficked mammal species in the world.
Keith Fung Chun-wah, who appeared for Hong, told the court that the more than four year gap between the 2019 arrests and prosecution in July 2022 might constitute an unreasonable delay that was unfavourable to his client’s defence.
Lee adjourned the case until February 28 to consider Fung’s argument as a potential mitigating factor.
People convicted of importation of specimens of endangered species without a licence can be punished by up to 10 years in jail and a HK$10 million (US$1.28 million) fine.
The maximum prison sentence that can be imposed in the District Court is seven years.
