San Ysidro man charged with smuggling 14 toucans in car dashboard

Certain of the protected toucans confiscated at the perimeter Photo courtesy of the U S Attorney s Office A San Ysidro man who allegedly tried to smuggle live toucans across the boundary while the birds were hidden inside his car has been charged by San Diego federal prosecutors After an alert from a U S Customs and Dividing line Protection canine at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry CBP officers allegedly spotted a bird wrapped in cloth and duct taped to the underside of the dash of Carlos Abundez s Volkswagen Passat A subsequent inspection of the car revealed sedated juvenile Keel-billed toucans inside a side panel of the car s dashboard according to the U S Attorney s Office Prosecutors mentioned particular of the birds which are protected and can fetch up to per bird when illegally sold had sustained injuries such as broken tails and a broken leg Abundez made his initial appearance in San Diego federal court on Wednesday The scenario is the fourth filed in San Diego in modern months against people allegedly attempting to smuggle protected exotic birds through San Diego boundary crossings In April San Diego federal prosecutors charged a Mexican citizen who allegedly attempted to cross the dividing line through the Otay Mesa Port of Entry with a dozen parakeets stuffed inside his boots and inside the seat of his car Prosecutors disclosed the birds were tied at their feet and wrapped in panty hose during the alleged smuggling affair According to the U S Attorney s Office among the protected Orange Fronted Parakeets at least two of the birds died a third suffered a achievable broken neck and others appeared in poor vitality Then in May a San Diego man allegedly attempted to cross through the San Ysidro Port of Entry with exotic birds in his car which were discovered in four bags underneath one of his carriage s seats Two of those birds died according to prosecutors Last month a Tulare County man allegedly purchased seven parrots for and attempted to bring them into the U S through the San Ysidro Port of Entry in order to breed and resell them The birds were located in a cardboard box on the visitor floorboard of his car prosecutors commented San Diego U S Attorney Adam Gordon reported in a message Smuggling endangered birds by sedating them binding their beaks and hiding them in car compartments is not just cruel it s criminal This disturbing trend of trafficking exotic wildlife through Southern California ports poses a serious threat to residents wellbeing and agriculture