Jobless man who smuggled 440kg of endangered pangolin scales into Hong Kong sentenced to 4 years in jail
- Hong Endian, 52, convicted of two counts of conspiring to import and possess specimens of endangered species
- Judge Clement Lee says ‘deterrent sentence’ necessary to show city law has zero tolerance for illegal smuggling
An unemployed man has been sentenced to four years in jail after he was found guilty of smuggling 440kg (970lbs) of scales from endangered pangolins into Hong Kong.
District Court Judge Clement Lee Hing-nin on Wednesday sentenced Hong Endian, 52, after convicting him of two counts of conspiring to import and possess specimens of an endangered species, in violation of the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance.
Lee said the court was obliged to send a message to the public that Hong Kong had zero tolerance for smuggling or conspirators complicit in the chain of illegal imports and exports.
“The law has to prevent the act of stealing but also protect endangered animals from suffering irreparable damage,” he said.
He stressed a “deterrent sentence” was necessary to reflect the seriousness of the offence, saying the defendant had played a role in linking up a logistics chain for the contraband.
The scales seized in the case were the biggest bust for which a conviction has been secured.