Qinyu Han fronts court over attempt to export protected lizards

The discovery of three shingleback lizards stuffed in socks and disguised as plastic figurines, Tim Tams, popcorn and potato chips bound for Hong Kong led police to a Point Cook man.

Qinyu Han has been sentenced to a community corrections order for attempting to export three shingleback lizards to Hong Kong without a permit.

A Point Cook man who attempted to export endangered shingleback lizards hidden in socks with various packaging materials to lucrative markets overseas has avoided jail.

Qinyu Han fronted the County Court on Wednesday when he was sentenced to a two-year community corrections order on a charge of attempting to export an endangered species without a permit.

The 28-year-old lodged three parcels at the Sanctuary Lakes Post Office on October 10, 2023 addressed to a person in Hong Kong and declared they contained plastic figurines, Tim Tams and potato chips.

The packets also contained packets of popcorn and plastic animal toys.

Australia Post referred the parcels to the Australian Border Force and X-rays showed they contained live wildlife.

During a search warrant at his house in January 2024, Han said he had a Victorian licence to buy reptiles but denied attempting to export the lizards.

A shingleback lizard stuffed in a sock by Qinyu Han being examined by the Australian Border Force.

The lizards could have fetched him $30,000 on the international market.

One of the three reptiles Han attempted to export died in quarantine due while others were cared for at a wildlife park in Sydney.

He said he bought 17 to 18 shingleback lizards and kept them at home but sold them for about $5000 each once his relationship broke down in August 2023.

Judge Justin Lewis said while he could not rule out the involvement of others in the offending, the court noted that Han played a very significant role in that he owned the lizards, packed and posted them.

Judge Lewis said he found it hard to believe Han’s claim that he didn’t know it was illegal to export the lizards overseas given the measures he took to disguise his offending.

A shingleback lizard stuffed in a sock that Qinyu Han tried to export to Hong Kong.

They included using false sender addresses and signatures, wrongly describing the contents and filling the packages with sundry items.

A search of his mobile phone number revealed an advertisement on www.reptileclassifieds.com.au, selling “singles and blue tongues” for $520, and stated “17 singles $600 each if you can take them all by 1 time”.