News Release

Traditional Chinese Medicine Importer Receives 18 Month Sentence 

TORONTO, September 13, 2007 - In a precedent-setting case, Cheung-Hon (Oliver) Mok received an 18-month sentence after pleading guilty Monday in the Ontario Court of Justice - Criminal Division to illegally importing traditional Chinese medicines containing derivatives of endangered animals and plants.  

Mr. Mok, 46, of Richmond Hill, Ontario was also ordered to serve a two-year period of probation and must obey stringent court-ordered reporting conditions aimed at ensuring his compliance with Canada's federal endangered species legislation. The conditional sentence consists of house arrest for nine months and then curfew for nine months.

The penalty reflected the level of endangerment of the species involved, the commercial nature of his activities and his previous convictions on two counts for similar offences handed down in the Ontario Court of Justice - Provincial Division in December 2003.

The items seized by Environment Canada included turtle and tortoise shells, orchids and orchid derivatives and coral, all derived from endangered species protected by the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES import and export permits were required to be issued by Canadian and Hong Kong authorities prior to the import of these goods into Canada. No such permits were obtained.

Environment Canada's investigation established that between April 2004 and September 2006, Mr. Mok used several companies located in the Greater Toronto Area to receive traditional Chinese medicines manufactured using endangered species and illegally imported into Canada from Hong Kong. These medicines were initially detected by officers in Vancouver and subsequently seized as evidence.

Environment Canada is responsible for the enforcement of wildlife legislation regarding plants and animals. CITES is an international agreement to protect plant and animal species from extinction. CITES regulates international trade in endangered plant and animal species as well as species that may become endangered if trade is not regulated. Canada is a member of CITES and implements the Convention in Canada through the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act.

For more information, please contact:

Gary Colgan
Director, Wildlife Enforcement Division
Environment Canada
(905) 319-6960

Jack Saunders
Communications Advisor/Media Relations
Environment Canada - Ontario
(416) 739-4785