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| A langur monkey skull (left). | An orangutan skull (right). |
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| The head of a Rhinoceros Hornbill |
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| Eoin Ling Churn Yeng (left) | Galvin Yeo Siang Ann (right) |
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Two Malaysian businessmen appeared in Portland federal court Monday to confront charges that they illegally smuggled orangutan skulls and other parts of protected wildlife into the U.S.
Federal agents arrested Eoin Ling Churn Yeng, 35, and Galvin Yeo Siang Ann, 33, Friday after they flew into Portland to meet with a business associate who last August became a cooperating witness in an undercover federal wildlife investigation, according to a federal criminal complaint.
The two fell under investigation in 2013 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after what the government describes as a routine cargo search turned up mandible of a a Helmeted hornbill. The beak of the large bird was being shipped to a home in Forest Grove, the government alleges.
"Helmeted Hornbills are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora," better known as CITES, government prosecutors wrote in a news release.
The criminal complaint charges Ling and Yeo of illegally importing wildlife into the U.S., which carries a potential punishment of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
"U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents initiated an undercover operation named 'Operation Pongo,' which was inspired by the orangutan's genus Pongo,"according to the government news release. "The investigation revealed that Ling and Yeo were co-owners of an online business that regularly smuggled endangered wildlife into the United States from 2004 to 2015." Read more
Source: oregonlive.com
