A woman from Hong Kong was arrested while attempting to smuggle 29 protected turtles from the United States to Canada. Wan Yi Ng (41 years old) pleaded guilty on Friday in U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vermont, to attempting to smuggle a type of turtle known as the "eastern box turtle" from Vermont to Canada.

According to "Fox News," these turtles are considered a protected species in Vermont, as well as in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New Hampshire.

According to the investigation report, the woman was caught in the act carrying her inflatable boat to begin her journey to the Canadian side of Lake Wallace.

The police said they received a notification from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that two other individuals, including Ng's husband, had begun paddling the boat from the Canadian side of the lake towards the United States, and it was noted that the arrested individual had 29 eastern box turtles inside a suitcase wrapped in socks.

It is known that eastern box turtles are sold on the Chinese black market for $1,000 each.

During the investigation, police seized the defendant's phone, which showed that she attempted to smuggle the turtles to be sold later for profit in Hong Kong.

Ng admitted to attempting the illegal export of 29 eastern box turtles outside the United States, in violation of the country's law; she has been held since her arrest and will remain in custody until the scheduled sentencing on December 13, during which she faces a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000.