Two San Diego men have been sentenced for smuggling vulnerable birds into the United States, with one facing prison time and the other facing thousands in fines.
Ricardo Alonzo was sentenced to three months in prison for smuggling 17 birds — two scarlet-red Amazon parrots, five yellow-crowned Amazon parrots and 10 burrowing parrots — into the U.S. without quarantining to prevent the spread of disease, according to federal Justice Department officials. said in a news release.
In the second case, a federal judge ordered San Ysidro resident Carlos Abundez Must pay $74,330 14 For Smuggling the Unconscious Keel-billed Toucan in the dashboard About his Volkswagen Passat, the government said. Some birds suffered injuries, including a broken tail and a broken leg.
Customs and Border Protection seized multiple bags containing 17 exotic birds during a search at the San Ysidro port of entry on May 4, 2025.
(United States District Court Southern District of California)
These two cases provide the latest glimpse of a persistent problem at the border: Exotic birds — many of which are native to Mexico or Latin America — getting lodged inside vehicles or even on a suspect’s clothing.
In October, a Tijuana man indicted Officers found two emaciated and possibly unconscious orange parrots stuffed into his underwear. In June, a 24-year-old man was taken into custody after authorities found him seven amazon parrots In a cardboard box on its passenger floorboard. Two months before that, authorities had arrested a man after finding that he had smuggled six birds in his shoes and six more in his car – two of which were dead.
Attorneys for Alonzo and Abundez did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Mike Parr, president of the American Bird Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving bird habitat, said he’s not surprised by the trafficking of some birds. Parrots kept in captivity have become habituated to humans and have become popular among pet owners, he said.
“They’re decorative. They make good pets. They talk. People just love parrots,” said Parr, who also co-authored Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World.
Alonzo was arrested at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in May. Investigators found bags under the back seat of his 2015 Dodge Durango containing 17 birds, as well as three chickens, which were used “to hide parrots and parakeets protected by border officials,” according to his plea agreement.
Many of the birds were very young. The plea agreement states that the two red-haired Amazon parrots died “as a result of the arduous journey.”
Prosecutors said all three species of birds in Alonzo’s car were protected and listed as part of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The settlement states that the remaining parrots and parakeets were sent to the Bronx Zoo.
Doug Alt, assistant director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, said Alonzo’s actions undermined efforts to protect vulnerable bird populations, while also circumventing laws aimed at preventing “the entry of zoonotic diseases and other pathogens into the United States.”
“This defendant used illegal trafficking practices that disregarded the laws of the United States, the birds he was trafficking, and the wildlife within the United States,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California. Adam Gordon said in a statement.
In his plea agreement, Alonzo admitted earning $40,000 from the sale of the birds. As part of his sentence, he was ordered to pay $3,262 to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to cover the parrot’s care and quarantine.
The second defendant, Abundez, was arrested at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in June 2025. According to his plea agreement, he told officers he was going to McDonald’s and had nothing to declare.
During the search, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer found 14 tied and unconscious wedge-billed toucans, one of which was taped under the dashboard of a car.
Abundez was sentenced on March 3.
His payment of $74,330 will go to Lacey Act Reward FundThat compensates tipsters who report wildlife crimes, federal officials said.
