A Toco Toucan is perched in a tree at the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens in Naples on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.
San Diego, California – A San Ysidro man appeared in federal court this week to face charges of smuggling 14 live, bound toucans across the U.S.-Mexico border, in a case that shows a troubling and persistent pattern of illegal wildlife trafficking through Southern California’s ports of entry.
Carlos Abundez, 35, was stopped at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry after a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) canine unit alerted officers to possible contraband in his Volkswagen Passat. Upon inspection, officers discovered a small, wrapped bundle duct taped beneath the dashboard—an object that only revealed itself when it began to move. Further examination uncovered 14 juvenile Keel-billed toucans, sedated and crammed into a hidden compartment behind the dash.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, some of the birds suffered broken tails and one had a broken leg. Federal wildlife officials were called to the scene, and the birds—native to regions spanning from southern Mexico to Ecuador—were transferred to an Animal Import Center for quarantine. They are now in stable condition.
The Keel-billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), with its vivid beak and rainforest habitat, is protected under international law. Listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the species can be legally traded only under strict regulation. Still, they remain popular in the illegal pet trade, fetching prices of up to $5,000 apiece.
Abundez’s case is the latest in a string of wildlife smuggling prosecutions in San Diego federal court. In April, a man was arrested for allegedly stuffing a dozen parakeets into his boots and vehicle seat. The next month, another smuggler was caught with 17 exotic birds in bags under a car seat. In June, a Tulare County man was charged after attempting to bring in seven parrots in a cardboard box.
“This disturbing trend of trafficking exotic wildlife through Southern California ports poses a serious threat to public health and agriculture,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon in a statement. “Smuggling endangered birds by sedating them, binding their beaks, and hiding them in car compartments is not just cruel—it’s criminal.”
Beyond the cruelty, experts warn of the biosecurity risks associated with illegally imported animals. Birds that bypass regulated quarantine procedures may carry diseases like avian influenza—commonly known as bird flu—that can devastate poultry farms and, in rare cases, infect humans. Transmission can occur through feathers, droppings, or even the air, prompting mass culls in past outbreaks.
