Arty, a bird who lives full-time at the Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic, perch's on the finger of Crystal Matt, an avian medicine resident on Thursday, May 5, 2022, at the facility in Indianapolis.
San Diego, California – A San Diego man is facing federal charges after allegedly attempting to smuggle 17 exotic birds across the U.S.-Mexico border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry earlier this month, officials announced Tuesday.
Ricardo Alonzo, 26, was arrested after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered four bags concealed beneath a seat in his vehicle on May 4. Inside the bags were 10 Burrowing Parakeets, five Yellow-Crowned Amazon Parrots, and two Red-Lored Amazon Parrot chicks, according to a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Tragically, the two parrot chicks died, while the remaining birds were transported to a U.S. Department of Agriculture quarantine facility.
Alonzo allegedly declared only two chickens to border officers and provided no legal documentation permitting the birds’ importation. According to the complaint, the birds were not sedated and could be heard making noise during the secondary inspection, casting doubt on any claims that Alonzo was unaware of their presence.
“Trafficking exotic birds isn’t just illegal — it’s cruel and dangerous,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “These actions put the lives of helpless animals at risk and expose the public and other animals to serious diseases.”
Authorities stressed that smuggling wildlife into the U.S. without quarantine poses major health risks. Exotic birds are known to carry avian influenza, psittacosis, and histoplasmosis, all of which can threaten human health and U.S. poultry farms. The mandated quarantine process is designed to prevent such disease transmission.
“This charge underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting vulnerable wildlife and holding traffickers accountable for their crimes,” said Shawn Gibson, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego. “We are grateful to our dedicated law enforcement partners whose collaboration was instrumental in bringing this individual to justice.”
This is the second recent case of bird smuggling through a San Diego port of entry. Just days earlier, prosecutors charged a Mexican national for allegedly attempting to cross the border at Otay Mesa with a dozen parakeets hidden in his boots and car seat. Several of those birds were injured or died as a result of the smuggling attempt.
The birds involved in Alonzo’s case are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). Burrowing Parakeets are native to Chile and Argentina, while Amazon Parrots are found across Mexico, the West Indies, and northern South America.
Alonzo appeared in federal court Tuesday. His case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker Gardner-Erickson.
