According to American news site Oregon Live, Eoin Ling Churn Yeng and Galvin Yeo Siang Ann, both in their thirties, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to illegally smuggling endangered wildlife parts.

Prior to their arrest, Ling and Yeo ran Borneo Artifact, an online business which they used to advertise, sell and ship wildlife parts from Borneo to the US, declaring the parts as “crafts” for decoration.

Through a plea agreement, Ling and Yeo each received a jail sentence of six months and a fine of USD12,500 (RM 48,544) as well as 240 hours of community service, and will only be returned to Malaysia after they have completed their sentences.

The duo’s fines will go to the Lacey Act Fund to support wildlife services preservation.

Previously, FMT reported that Ling and Yeo were arrested by US Federal Agents when they arrived in the country to meet a business associate.

As part of their operations, authorities in the country had purchased the skulls of three Orang Utans, five hornbills, a langur monkey, a babirusa, and the rib of a dugong.

Reviewed records meanwhile revealed that Ling and Yeo had sold other wildlife items in the US, and were facing a maximum penalty of 20 years in a federal prison and a USD250,000 (then RM 1.06 million) fine.

Investigations into the duo reportedly began when a routine international package search uncovered part of a skull from a helmeted hornbill, a species protected under federal law and international treaty, bound for a residence in Oregon.