Wildlife smuggler Anson Wong and his wife Cheah Bing Shee had their business licenses and wildlife permits revoked after the notorious trafficker was convicted of attempting to illegally take nearly 100 snakes out of Malaysia, reports The Star.
The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said the National Wildlife and Parks Department (Perhilitan) intends to confiscate all the animals still in the couple’s possession and that new applications from Cheah for wildlife permits would be denied.
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Wong was sentenced on September 6 to six months in prison and a RM 190,000 ($61,000) fine for his attempt to smuggle 95 boa constrictors, two rhinoceros vipers and one matamata turtle on his flight from Penang to Jakarta on August 26. W
Wong has been in trouble with the law before. In 2000 he plead guilty to wildlife trafficking in the US and was sentenced to 71 months in jail. Meanwhile last year authorities in the United States raided U.S. Global Exotics, a pet supplier that had been sourcing its animals from Wong’s company, CBS Wildlife and Sungai Rusa Wildlife. Nevertheless Malaysian authorities have generally been hesitant to interfere in his operations, according to The Lizard King, a book which detailed his activities.