Canadian who had 38 turtles down his pants is convicted of smuggling, gets probation

A Canadian man who smuggled 38 turtles in his pants has been given probation, a fine and has been banned from owning such reptiles for 10 years.

According to Canada’s environment department, Dong Yan of Windsor, Ontario, had tried to bring the reptiles from the United States into the southern part of the province.

“The turtles were contained in plastic bags and taped to Mr Yan’s legs,” Environment and Climate Change Canada said in a statement on Thursday.

Yan was convicted on February 17 after he was caught during an inspection in 2014 when he tried to enter Canada through the Niagara border crossing, the department said.

Yan’s probation is for two years, and his fine was C$3,500 (US$2,600). He was also sentenced to 50 hours of community service and must notify the environment department of international travel. Yan was also ordered to write a letter about his experience “for publication as the department sees fit.”

The turtles in Yan’s pants were identified as ringed map turtles, diamondback terrapins, three-toed box turtles, spotted turtles and red-eared sliders.