Man caught trying to smuggle 51 turtles in his pants sentenced to 5 years in prison

A case that began 19 months ago when a smuggler was caught with 51 turtles down his pants ended Tuesday with the man — now fluent in Spanish — sentenced to five years in federal prison.

Prosecutors say Kai Xu, 27, made multiple trips from Canada to the United States to buy thousands of turtles, which he would then ship back to his native China. He was caught in September 2014 as he tried to cross the border from Michigan to Ontario, with 51 turtles strapped to his legs. It's illegal to send turtles overseas without a permit, and in a letter to the judge before his sentencing, Xu said he was very sorry and grateful to agents for "stopping the darkness of my greed and ignorance." Xu also said he used proceeds from his smuggling business to pay for college, and he is one semester shy of receiving his engineering degree.

While detained, Xu learned to speak Spanish, and the judge in his case praised him for helping Hispanic inmates, The Associated Press reports. Xu's remorse was genuine, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Woodward said, but the scheme was one of the largest agents have seen in recent memory. Xu's attorney, Matthew Borgula, plans to appeal the sentencing, saying his client is not a "sophisticated international dealer" and he learned that hiding turtles in his pants is "not a good way to get them across the border."

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