Turtle shell smuggler jailed

Tham Yuen-c Straits Times 15 Mar 13;

A WOMAN from Seychelles was jailed for three months yesterday for trying to smuggle 60kg worth of shells harvested from endangered Hawksbill sea turtles into Singapore.

Barne Florence Flossy Beryl, 48, who had pleaded guilty, came to Singapore with her son about two weeks ago with two suitcases packed full of the shells. They are commonly used in making jewellery and household items like trays, as well as medicine.

The shells, estimated to be worth $10,000, were discovered by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officers at Changi Airport, who found the "dense items" packed inside the bags rather unusual.

When the bags were opened, the officers found that they were stuffed with the shells.

Beryl told the officers she had been asked to carry them by a person in Seychelles named "Michel", who also told her that a "Mr Choo" from Singapore would arrange to pick up the goods from her.

Experts from Wildlife Reserves Singapore later ascertained that the shells were from Hawksbill sea turtles, found only in the tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans.

The species' population has fallen by about 80 per cent worldwide in the last 10 years, landing it in an international convention that bans trade and the over-exploitation of certain animals and plants.

Since Singapore recognises the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, by smuggling the shells into Singapore, Beryl contravened the country's Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act.

In pushing for a deterrent sentence, the prosecuting officer submitted that some 60 turtles would have been killed to yield the "staggering" amount of shells, which are known for their beauty. Not only that, but the shells had also been reduced to their scutes - hard, keratin layers - to evade detection. Foil was also used to line the bags.