51 turtles found in man's pants at Canadian border

DETROIT — Fifty-one turtles found in a man's sweatpants may have a brighter future after he was

caught trying to cross from Detroit into Canada

, authorities said.

Kai Xu was charged with federal smuggling crimes for trying to return to Windsor, Ontario, with the live reptiles tucked in plastic bags around his legs, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit.

Before he was stopped Aug. 5, investigators with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report watching Xu pick up a box labeled "live fish keep cool" from a UPS Customer Center in Detroit, according to the complaint filed Tuesday and later unsealed. The box was from Alabama, which experts say is a popular area for turtle breeders.

Asked why anyone would smuggle turtles out of the U.S., Gavin Shire of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which investigated the case against Xu, said it has to do with demand for turtles in Asia and Europe. Some soft-shelled varieties are coveted for food. The turtles in this case likely were targeted for the collector market, he said.

"There's now a burgeoning Asian market," he said. Shire said many other species of live animals are smuggled; most common are pet birds, rattlesnakes and Gila monsters.

The criminal complaint against Xu doesn't indicate whether he gave a reason for taking the turtles.

It indicates that while he was at UPS, he went to his car and opened the box. Moments later, he was seen carrying a pair of scissors and a plastic grocery bag that appeared "weighted" with smaller bags and tape to an area between two UPS semi-trailers, according to the complaint.

Ten minutes later, he returned to his car with the scissors but no bag. Bulges were seen on his legs beneath his pants, the complaint reports.

"Xu returned to the back of his (Ford) Escape and wiped his hands with a paper towel, which he discarded on the ground," according to the complaint.

He left UPS about 5:30 p.m., and investigators followed him to the Windsor tunnel. Moments later, he was stopped trying to enter Windsor, and the turtles — pet-type breeds of eastern box turtles, red-eared sliders and diamondback terrapins — were found during a search, according to the complaint.

Xu faces three charges, including smuggling goods from the U.S., trading in specimens illegally, and exporting fish or wildlife illegally.