CBP officers at Miami International Airport find 10 live birds concealed on arriving passenger, federal complaint says
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Miami International Airport discovered 10 live birds concealed beneath a passenger’s clothing after his Oct. 4 arrival from Havana, according to a federal complaint obtained by Fox News Digital.
The complaint identifies the passenger as Alberto Hernandez Castillo, a native of Cuba and a legal permanent resident of the United States, and says officers selected him for a secondary inspection after he arrived on the flight.
The complaint says Castillo signed a customs declaration that he was not bringing animals or wildlife into the United States. Officers first searched a carry-on bag and a fanny pack and found nothing, then noticed an “unexplained bulge” around his waist and pelvic area and conducted a pat-down, the complaint says.
According to the complaint, the pat-down allegedly revealed six clear cylindrical containers wrapped in tape and tucked into black pockets sewn into the man’s underwear; officers recovered a total of 10 birds from the containers. The birds were preliminarily identified in the complaint as eight yellow-faced grassquits and two blue grosbeaks.
The complaint states Castillo told authorities the birds were for his “personal use” and later invoked his right to remain silent. Investigators said a records check showed no indication he had filed the documentation required to lawfully import wildlife into the United States.
Castillo was charged with smuggling goods into the United States, and court records recommend a $25,000 personal surety bond. The complaint says the individual is due back in court on Oct. 26.
Fox News Digital obtained the federal complaint and reached out to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida for additional details, the article says.
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