Two men jailed 15 months each for trying to smuggle 206 endangered turtles through S’pore

SINGAPORE — With four luggage bags stuffed with 206 live turtles, they tried to make their way from Bangladesh to Surabaya, Indonesia. However, while transiting in Singapore on July 9, the duo’s ploy to smuggle the critically endangered reptiles was discovered.

Today (Oct 14), Russian nationals Pavlychev Maksim, 38, and Radkov Aleksei, 34, were each sentenced to 15 months’ jail for the attempted smuggling. Their jail sentences were backdated to July 9.

The black pond turtles (Geoclemys hamiltonii), estimated to be worth S$90,000, were placed in luggage bags lined with diapers and cloth to absorb their excreted waste, said the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in a press release today.

Twenty-seven of them have since died or had to put down for welfare reasons. “Unfortunately, the turtles arrived dehydrated and were in poor condition,” said the AVA. The remaining turtles are under the care of Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

Investigations revealed that Maksim and Aleksei were approached by a friend to deliver the turtles to Indonesia. The turtles are believed to be in high demand in the exotic pet trade. The two men were immediately detained after their exotic stash was detected by a Certis CISCO aviation security officer at Singapore Changi Airport.

International trade of the endangered turtles is prohibited, as it is protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act, CITES permits are required for any import, export and re-export of CITES species, including their parts and products. It is also an offence under the Act if the CITES species or their parts and products are not accompanied by proper CITES permits when they are in transit or being transhipped through Singapore.

Penalties for infringing the Act include fines of up to S$50,000 per scheduled species (not exceeding a maximum aggregate of S$500,000) and/or up to two years’ jail.

Under the Animals and Birds Act, any person who neglects to supply the animals with food and/or water or subject them to unnecessary suffering and distress, shall be guilty of animal cruelty and shall be liable, on conviction, to a maximum fine of S$10,000 and/or jail of up to 12 months.

“The Singapore Government has zero tolerance on the use of Singapore as a conduit to smuggle endangered species and their parts and products. We will not hesitate to take harsh enforcement actions against any person or company that smuggles wildlife through Singapore,” said AVA’s Lye Fong Keng, Deputy Director, Quarantine & Inspection Group (Wildlife Section).

Anyone with information on illegal wildlife trade may contact AVA at 6805-2992 or via AVA’s online feedback form. AVA said all information would be

kept strictly confidential.