"When U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents questioned what was behind the "abnormally bulging" groin of a Tijuana resident as he attempted to cross the border late last year, the 35-year-old responded it was just part of his male anatomy, according to federal court documents. But inspection officers weren't buying it. Officers searched him and found two emaciated and potentially sedated orange-fronted parakeets-the victims of an alleged botched smuggling attempt - stuffed in his underwear, according to court documents."
"Jesse Agus Martinez, an American citizen, was charged with one felony count of importation contrary to law following the Oct. 23 incident. He's pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. A call to attorneys representing Martinez and the government was not immediately returned. The case was one of two recent smuggling attempts in Southern California highlighted in a report released Thursday from the criminal enforcement division of the Environmental Protection Agency."
"In the second case, prosecutors say a man tried to smuggle 14 keel-billed toucans, which he had concealed inside the dashboard of his Volkswagen Passat. Carlos Abundez pleaded guilty to smuggling the toucans and is expected to be sentenced in March, court records show. Wildlife smuggling has been a persistent problem for officials, particularly in Southern California. Between 2015 and 2019, federal wildlife officials seized 48,793 live animals at the border, according to a report by the nonprofit Assn. of Zoos and Aquar"
Two separate smuggling attempts in Southern California involved live birds concealed on people and inside vehicles. Customs agents discovered two emaciated, possibly sedated orange-fronted parakeets hidden in a 35-year-old man's underwear during an inspection at the border. The man was charged with importation-related felony counts and pleaded not guilty. In a separate case, a smuggler concealed 14 keel-billed toucans inside a Volkswagen Passat dashboard; that defendant pleaded guilty and faces sentencing. Federal officials report tens of thousands of live animals seized at the border between 2015 and 2019, illustrating ongoing wildlife-smuggling challenges.
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