Man who smuggled 440kg of pangolin scales sentenced to 4 years' imprisonment in Hong Kong.

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 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.

The court had earlier heard that the defendant was the receiver of four consignments of parcels declared to contain mascara from Sarawak, Malaysia, between December 2018 and January 2019.

During the trial, the court was told that Hong liaised with a man behind the scenes in mainland China over the parcel collection, which he later stored in a residential flat in To Kwa Wan. The defendant received the parcels from Malaysia and then instructed others to pick them up separately.

Lee set the starting point for sentence at three years for Hong’s role in importing the scales.

For the possession offence, punishable by up to 10 years in jail and a fine of HK$10 million (US$1.28 million), the judge adopted a 3½-year sentence and ordered six months for the other charge to be served consecutively.

Anyone convicted of importing specimens of endangered species without a licence can be punished by up to 10 years in jail and a HK$10 million fine.

The maximum prison sentence that can be imposed in the District Court is seven years.

Sophie Le Clue, CEO of ADM Capital Foundation, a philanthropic foundation, said Hong Kong had become the hub for pangolin trafficking in recent years, following the confiscation of more than 57 tonnes of pangolin scales and carcasses.

“We hope [Wednesday’s sentence] marks a turning point in providing the deterrence needed to stem the large volumes of illegal wildlife flowing into the city,”

Customs welcomed the ruling too.

“The sentence of imprisonment has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the infringing offence related to endangered species.”

Main Source: SCMP