Turtle Smuggling Scheme Thwarted, SMC Man Caught Bringing 300 To Asia: DOJ

DALY CITY, CA — A Daly City man is facing federal wildlife trafficking charges after he tried to ship hundreds of protected turtles to Taiwan — and lied to the government to pull it off, officials said.

Donald Do was arrested this week on conspiracy and Lacey Act charges stemming from a scheme that ran from December 2022 through May 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to the indictment, Do and a California accomplice attempted to export 292 loggerhead musk turtles to Taiwan.

To get the necessary export permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Do falsely claimed he had hatched and raised the turtles himself, federal prosecutors claim. Once the permit was secured, prosecutors said he turned around and purchased musk turtles that had been poached from the wild in Florida and other states, even telling sellers he was willing to take "wild caught" animals and directing shipments to San Francisco.

Do and his co-conspirator also tried to acquire more than 200 additional turtles from Albert Bazaar, a Louisiana man detained last week in Phoenix on separate turtle trafficking charges, according to the indictment. When the export attempts fell through, Do tried to cover his tracks by telling his California co-conspirator he had sold the turtles to other buyers domestically, the DOJ reported.

Loggerhead musk turtles have been protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species — a treaty with 185 signatory governments, including the United States — since November 2022. Under the Lacey Act, it is illegal to provide false information about wildlife in international or interstate commerce, or to sell or transport animals taken in violation of state law.

Do's bond hearing is set for May 21, with a status conference scheduled for July 31. If convicted on each count, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.