SAN DIEGO — Authorities said a K-9’s nose helped officers at the border find 14 bound toucans in the dashboard of a Volkswagen Passat.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California said Carlos Abundez of San Ysidro, California, appeared in federal court Wednesday on charges of smuggling 14 live, bound Keel-billed toucans concealed inside the dashboard.
Federal agents arrested Abundez at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry after a K-9 with U.S. Customs and Border Protection indicated a problem with Abundez’s vehicle.
A CBP officer searched the car and found a bound bird, wrapped in cloth and duct taped to the underneath of the dash. The officer said didn’t know what the critter was until it began to flutter.
Once law enforcement opened the side panel of the dashboard, they said they found a total of 14 sedated juvenile toucans concealed inside.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents and inspectors responded to the scene.
A wildlife inspector identified the birds as Keel-billed toucans of the species Ramphastos sulfuratus.
Some had injuries including broken tails and a broken leg.
Abundez faces two charges, smuggling merchandise and importation contrary to law. Each charge includes a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine.
The birds are in stable condition in quarantine at the Department of Agriculture Animal Import Center.
Keel-billed toucans are a threatened species native to southern Mexico down through Ecuador, including Venezuela, Columbia and Nicaragua. They are illicitly sold as pets and can cost up to $5,000 per bird.
“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.
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