9 arrested for illicit wildlife products trading in China

CHANGCHUN - Nine suspects have been arrested for trafficking wildlife products in northeast China's Jilin province, local authorities said Wednesday.

The provincial public security bureau for forestry received a report in March that a local resident surnamed Wang was selling wild animals under first-class state protection online.

The investigation into the suspect led to a network that has been illegally trading wildlife products nationwide. The business chain involved 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

Police found that since 2016, Wang has handled over 490 transactions totaling more than 840,000 yuan (about 119,500 US dollars).

The bureau then sent out five teams to capture Wang and his eight accomplices. During the operation, a total of 381 protected wildlife and products -- 232 live animals and 149 dead ones -- were confiscated. The animals include pythons, lizards, turtles, loris and ostriches.

The investigation is still underway, and the first seven suspects have been sentenced to three months to five years in prison and fined 3,000 to 60,000 yuan.