In a federal courtroom, Carlos Abundez from San Ysidro faced grave charges for smuggling 14 Keel-billed toucans, a species threatened with potential extinction. According to a U.S. Department of Justice press release, these birds were hidden in a particularly cruel fashion, bound and concealed inside the dashboard of Abundez's VW Passat.
The discovery was made at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry when a change in behavior of a Customs and Border Protection canine signaled something amiss. Upon inspection, officers found a single bird wrapped in cloth and duct-taped beneath the dashboard, an unsettling sign that prompted further search, leading to the discovery of all 14 birds. Some of the toucans suffered injuries, including broken tails and a leg, an injustice to their natural grace.
The toucans, listed in Appendix II of the international treaty CITES due to their dwindling numbers, were initially cared for by Veterinary Services at the border and later transferred to an Animal Import Center for quarantine. "Smuggling endangered birds by sedating them, binding their beaks, and hiding them in car compartments is not just cruel—it's criminal," U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon was quoted as saying, per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Jimenez is prosecuting the case against Abundez, who now faces the possibility of a twenty-year prison sentence and fines up to $250,000 on counts of smuggling merchandise and importation contrary to law.
