In 1998, a five-year long sting investigation, dubbed 'Operation Chameleon' resulted in the capture, in Mexico, of one of the world's most notorious animal smugglers, Keng Liang 'Anson' Wong.

In 2000, after spending two years in a Mexican prison fighting extradition to the United States, he pleaded guilty in the US federal court in San Francisco to 40 felony charges stemming from 1992 to 1998 federal indictments for trafficking in some of the most rare and endangered reptile species on earth.

Wong together with his Malaysian partners spearheaded an international wildlife smuggling ring that illegally imported exotic reptiles by concealing them in express delivery packages, airline baggage, and large commercial shipments of legally declared animals.

The Malaysian national was scheduled to be sentenced in March 2001 and was expected to spend at least 20 years in jail. Three years later, the wildlife smuggler is back home in Malaysia.