Hang Hing Herbal Medicine Ltd - conviction information for 2022-01-17
| Corporation name: | Hang Hing Herbal Medicine Ltd |
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| Address: | 299 Pender Street East |
| City: | Vancouver |
| Province/territory: | British Columbia |
| Postal code: | V6A 1T8 |
| Country: | Canada |
| Sector or industry: | 452 - General merchandise stores |
| Location of offense: | 6751 Westminster Highway, Unité #100, Richmond, British Columbia |
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| Case summary: |
Hang Hing Herbal Medicines Ltd is located in Vancouver's Chinatown area, and sells Chinese medicines, herbs, vitamins and foodstuffs, including dried seafood.
Wildlife Officers from Environment and Climate Change Canada received a notification from Canada Border Services Agency that Hang Hing had imported goods into Canada, and conducted an inspection. The inspection revealed that 22 bags weighing 550 kg within the shipment were filled with shark fins. When the fins were later counted as part of the investigation, it was revealed that these 22 bags held an estimated 20,196 individual fins. The fins were sampled and taken to the Pacific and Yukon Laboratory for Environmental Testing, where it was determined that a significant proportion of the sampled fins belonged to a protected species of shark, the Oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus). Other fins belonged to the Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), which received protection shortly after the seizure had occurred.
Through the investigation, officers confirmed that no permits were issued for the shark fins, as is required for any species protected under the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA). The company subsequently admitted that their system of ordering goods did not meet the standards of due diligence in order to avoid committing the offence. As a result, Hang Hing Herbal Medicines Ltd was formally charged with contravening the provisions of WAPPRIITA. |
| Charges: |
Count 1
On or about September 26, 2017, at or near Richmond, BC, Hang Hing Herbal Medicine Ltd. did import a part of an animal to wit: fins of the shark Carcharhinus longimanus into Canada without a permit issued pursuant to subsection 10(1) of the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act, in violation of subsection 6(2) of the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act, thereby committing an offence under clause 22(1)(a) of the same Act. |
| Enforcement notification: | British Columbia-based trading company fined $75,000 and ordered to forfeit 20,196 shark fins |
| Result: | Guilty Plea |
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| Date of conviction: | 2022-01-17 |
| Court level: | Provincial and Territorial Court |
| Nature of offense(s): |
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| Additional details about the nature of the offense: |
| Act | Regulations | Section(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act | 6(2), 22(1)(a) |
| Date of sentencing: |
2022-01-17 |
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| Location of sentencing: | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Sentence(s): |
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| Amount of fine(s): | $75,000 |
| Sentencing details: |
On 17 January, 2022, before the Provincial Court in Vancouver, British Columbia, the corporation Hang Hing Herbal Medicine Ltd. pleaded guilty to one count of importing Oceanic whitetip shark fins into Canada without the requisite permit. The corporation was sentenced to a fine of $75, 000 which was to be paid entirely to the Environmental Damages Fund of Canada.
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