California man facing federal charges in international turtle trafficking plot
Key takeaways
- A Daly City man suspected of purchasing and exporting hundreds of poached turtles from Florida is facing federal wildlife trafficking charges, according to Department of Justice officials.
- The agency announced Friday that Donald Do was arrested and charged with submitting false paperwork in an attempt to obtain a permit that would enable him to ship wild and protected turtles to Asia.
- Do’s arrest was part of a joint state and federal crackdown called Operation Southern Hot Herps, which was initiated to detect and deter turtle poachers in the southeastern United States engaged in the Asian pet trade.
A Bay Area man is facing federal wildlife trafficking charges in a joint state and federal crackdown on the exotic turtle trade, dubbed “Operation Southern Hot Herps.” (Evan Vucci/AP) By Greg Braxton Senior Writer, Culture and Representation Follow May 16, 2026 11:01 AM PT 3 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
A Daly City man suspected of purchasing and exporting hundreds of poached turtles from Florida is facing federal wildlife trafficking charges, according to Department of Justice officials.
The agency announced Friday that Donald Do was arrested and charged with submitting false paperwork in an attempt to obtain a permit that would enable him to ship wild and protected turtles to Asia.