Woman who tried to smuggle 29 turtles into Canada by kayaking across lake pleads guilty

A woman from China was caught attempting to smuggle 29 protected eastern box turtles across a Vermont lake into Canada by kayak. She was arrested with the turtles in a duffle bag as she was about to set off on the lake. The turtles are known to be sold on the Chinese black market for a high price. The woman pleaded guilty to unlawfully attempting to export the turtles and faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. She was caught through communications found on her cellphone showing her intentions to profit from selling the turtles in Hong Kong.