Oh Shell No! Man Arrested With 51 Turtles Down His Pants

A man has been charged with smuggling in Ann Arbor, Michigan after being caught with — get this — 51 live turtles carefully taped to his legs. The man, 27-year-old Kai Xu of Ontario, Canada has pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle more than 1,000 live turtles to China where their value is exponentially higher.

After pleading guilty, Zu faces up to 10 years in prison. A federal government license must be issued for anyone to exporting wildlife from the United States.

Last August, Xu was stopped by agents at the Canada Border Services Agency as he was leaving the city of Detroit. According to The Chronicle Herald, he was found with, “41 live turtles strapped to his legs and 10 hidden between his legs, according to an affidavit from a special agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service”.

The turtles included a variety of species including red-eared sliders and diamondback terrapins. Court documents stated that, “irregularly shaped bulges under Xu’s sweatpants on both his legs” tipped off law enforcement. No confirmation if any were named after Renaissance artists or had ninja superpowers.

[h/t The Chronicle Herald]

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