Anson Wong pleads guilty to exporting snakes without permit

M. Mageswari The Star 2 Sep 10;

SEPANG: A businessman pleaded guilty at the Sessions Court here Wednesday to exporting 95 snakes without permit last week.

He posted bail on Thursday.

Wong Keng Liang, better known as Anson Wong, 52, believed to be an international wildlife trader, admitted to exporting 95 Boa Constrictor - which is endangered species - without permit at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 8.50pm on Aug 26.

The Boa constrictor is a large, heavy-bodied species of snake and variable in drawing and color. They are very adaptable and live in a number of habitats in different climates.

It is a member of the Boidae family found in Central America, South America and some islands in the Caribbean.

The snakes were found in a luggage bag while Wong was in transit from Penang to Jakarta.

Wong could be fined a maximum of RM100,000 or jailed up to seven years or both under Section 10(a) of the International Trade of Endangered Species Act 2008.

Prosecuting officer Faridz Gohim Abdullah, from Perhilitan (Wildlife and National Parks Department), applied to the court to set his bail at RM50,000 in one surety.

Sessions Court judge Zulhelmy Hasan set his bail at RM50,000 in one surety. Zulhelmy also ordered Wong to surrender his passport pending disposal of the case.

The judge set Sept 6 for mention pending appointment of a lawyer.

Meanwhile, Wong posted bail Thursday.

It had been reported by The Star in February that Wong had been linked to a Dec 15 seizure in the United States of various types of animals from an exotic animal outlet.

Two of the trader’s companies were found to have been supplying animals to the outlet.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) had claimed that CBS Wildlife and Sungai Rusa Wildlife, both owned by Wong, were supplying various types of animals and wildlife to US Global Exotics (USGE).

Wong pleaded guilty to trafficking in wildlife in the US and was sentenced to 71 months jail in 2000.

Man charged with animal trafficking
New Straits Times 3 Sep 10;

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian who served time in the United States nine years ago for animal trafficking, was charged with a similar offence at the Sepang magistrate’s court on Wednesday.

Anson Wong Kheng Liang, 53, was arrested at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport last week while allegedly trying to smuggle 95 boa constrictors out of the country.

He was on transit from Penang to Jakarta when Kuala Lumpur International Airport authorities spotted Anson taking a bag with a broken lock held together with a rope.

Wong was charged on Wednesday and was granted bail of RM50,000, which he could not post.

After spending a day in prison, his younger brother, Wong Kheng Fuan, bailed him out yesterday.

If convicted, Wong faces a fine of between RM100,000 and RM1 million for each animal, or seven years’ jail, or both.

His case will be fixed for mention this Monday.

Wong was arrested in Mexico City in 1998 and was extradited to the US three years later where he was sentenced to 71 months imprisonment.

Wong had pleaded guilty to 40 counts of smuggling, conspiracy, money laundering and violations of US wildlife protection laws.

It was dubbed one of the largest cases of illegal trade ever prosecuted in the US.

Malaysia Uncovers Nearly 100 Live Reptiles In Bag
Royce Cheah PlanetArk 3 Sep 10;

Malaysian airport security arrested a convicted wildlife smuggler after finding almost 100 live reptiles in his luggage, the country's Wildlife and National Parks Department said.

Anson Wong, already convicted of trafficking in wildlife in the United States, was in transit from the Malaysian island state of Penang to the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Thursday when Malaysia Airlines staff at Kuala Lumpur airport were alerted to a bag that had broken while on a conveyor belt.

The department, in a statement issued late on Saturday, said its enforcement officers found 95 boa constrictors, two rhinoceros vipers and a matamata turtle inside the luggage.

Boa constrictors are subject to regulations or a complete ban in international commercial trade as they are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

The statement said Wong would remain in detention for two days. Under Malaysian law, if found guilty, he could face seven years in jail and fines of up to 100,000 ringgit ($32,000) for each animal or both.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Wong had previously pleaded guilty to a trafficking in the United States in 2001 and was sentenced to 71 months in jail.

TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring organization, said Malaysia must "rise to the challenge" of confronting new evidence of its role as an hub for those engaged in wildlife smuggling.

"Their attempt at mocking Malaysia's legal system must be dealt with head-on," said Kanitha Krishnasamy, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Senior Programme Officer.

On Friday, Thai customs officials found a two-month-old tiger stashed in a bag filled with tiger toys which had been checked in for an international passenger flight.

(Editing by Ron Popeski)

'Lizard King' admits to smuggling 95 live snakes
Yahoo News 3 Sep 10;

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – A Malaysian wildlife trafficker has pleaded guilty to smuggling 95 endangered boa constrictors and could face up to seven years in jail, officials said Friday.

Anson Wong, 52, nicknamed the "Lizard King" and described as one of the world's most-wanted smugglers of wild animals, was arrested at the airport last week after he tried to smuggle the live snakes to neighbouring Indonesia.

The Wildlife and National Parks Department has said Wong was arrested after his luggage broke while on the conveyor belt, and airline staff later found snakes and a turtle in his bag.

He was charged in court on Wednesday under laws which prohibit the export of animal without a permit, the department's law and enforcement assistant director Rozidan Md Yasin confirmed to AFP.

He said Wong pleaded guilty to the charge and was out on bail.

Wong faces a fine of up to 100,000 ringgit (32,000 dollars) for each animal and up to seven years in prison.

Wong earned the nickname "Lizard King" for smuggling wildlife, in particular reptiles. He was reportedly sentenced to 71 months in jail in the United States in 2001 after he pleaded guilty to trafficking charges.

Despite efforts by Southeast Asian authorities to crack down on animal smuggling, the practice still persists in the region, posing a threat to several species, activists say.