“Lizard King” sentenced
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2010:
PETALING JAYA, Malaysia–Anson Wong Keng
Liang, 52, on November 6, 2010 saw the
Malaysian High Court increase to five years a
six-month sentence he received from Selang
Sessions Court on September 6 for smuggling boa
constrictors.
Initially trafficking in reptiles via the now
defunct Bukit Jambul Reptile Sanctuary, Wong was
called by Bryan Christy “the most important
person in the international reptile business” in
Christy’s 2008 exposé book The Lizard King.
Arrested in Mexico City in 1998, Wong was
extradited to the U.S., where he served a a
71-months prison term after pleading guilty to
40 counts of smuggling, conspiracy,
money-laundering, and other violations of
wildlife laws.
Wong returned to Malaysia and the reptile business after his release.