Customs officers at Miami International Airport intercepted two men arriving from Havana this week with live birds concealed beneath their clothing. Alberto Hernandez Castillo carried 10 birds stuffed in his underpants, while Roberto Perez Quincosa smuggled 11 birds inside a belt-like garment.
Twice within a single week, passengers arriving on flights from Havana, Cuba, triggered suspicions among customs officers at Miami International Airport due to unexplained bulges around their pelvises.
Concealed in Underwear and Hair Rollers
The first arrest involved Alberto Hernandez Castillo, who disembarked from a flight on Sunday wearing gold-sheened sneakers and showing signs of nervousness. A Homeland Security Investigations special agent detailed in a criminal complaint that a pat-down of Mr. Hernandez Castillo discovered black pouches sewn into his underpants. Nestled inside were six slim tubes bound in beige tape and affixed with black mesh openings, with each tube containing one or two birds.
Just two days later on Tuesday, 41-year-old Roberto Perez Quincosa arrived and was arrested after authorities made similar observations. Investigators from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stated in a criminal complaint that Mr. Perez Quincosa devised a belt-like garment utilizing hair roller tubes wrapped in electrical tape. These tubes featured holes along their length and were capped with netting material to hold 11 birds.
Protected Species and Breeding Intentions
According to the criminal complaints, both men were born in Cuba and now hold permanent U.S. residency. Neither filed the necessary paperwork to legally import wildlife into the United States, and both checked no
on customs declaration forms asking if they were bringing animals or wildlife into the country. When questioned, Mr. Perez Quincosa admitted to law enforcement that he knew bringing the birds in was unlawful and intended to breed and sell them for $100 to $120 each. Mr. Hernandez Castillo stated that his birds were for personal use before invoking his right to remain silent.
Legal Proceedings and Broader Wildlife Trafficking
Court records show that Mr. Hernandez Castillo was released on Monday after posting a $25,000 bond. Authorities did not state whether Mr. Perez Quincosa remained in custody, and a lawyer for Mr. Hernandez Castillo did not respond to requests for comment, while it remained unknown if Mr. Perez Quincosa had retained legal representation. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations referred inquiries to the Fish and Wildlife Service, which declined to comment due to an ongoing investigation. Officials also did not disclose the current status or destination of the surviving birds.
Miami serves as a major entry point for smugglers attempting to bring wildlife from Latin America and the Caribbean into the United States for sale. Globally, the World Wildlife Fund estimates that up to 1.5 million birds are trafficked in a single year, with exotic birds featuring colorful plumage fetching a thousand dollars or more and generating tens of billions in profits according to Bird Life International. Similar concealment methods have surfaced in previous years, including a traveler crossing from Mexico into California last year with two sedated parrots hidden in trousers, and a 2018 smuggling operation involving at least 200 finches hidden in plastic hair rollers or in luggage.
