Here’s a smuggling story you probably didn’t see coming — U.S. border officers recently discovered 14 live toucans stashed inside the dashboard of a Volkswagen Passat.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, federal agents stopped 35-year-old Carlos Abundez of San Ysidro, California, at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry earlier this month. A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) dog alerted officers to something suspicious, prompting them to take a closer look.
What they found was… unexpected.
First, an officer spotted a bundle wrapped in cloth and duct tape under the dash. At first glance, it was just an odd-shaped package — until it started to move and flutter. Inside was a sedated juvenile Keel-billed toucan.
Officers pried open the dashboard’s side panel and, to their shock, uncovered 13 more of the colorful birds — all bound, sedated, and crammed into the compartment. Some had injuries, including broken tails and even a broken leg.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified the birds as Keel-billed toucans, which are native to Central and South America and can sell for as much as $5,000 each in the pet trade. The birds were treated by veterinarians before being transferred to a Department of Agriculture quarantine center. Officials say they’re now in stable condition.
“Smuggling endangered birds by sedating them, binding their beaks, and hiding them in car compartments is not just cruel — it’s criminal,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon.
Authorities say the arrest is part of a troubling trend — recent months have also seen people caught smuggling Amazon parrots and parakeets through Southern California ports. Beyond animal cruelty, officials warn this illegal trade poses serious public health risks, including the spread of avian influenza.
As for Abundez, he reportedly told authorities he had no idea how the toucans got into his dashboard.
Sure, buddy.
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