A man was caught by security personnel at Miami International Airport in the United States while trying to smuggle live birds by carrying them in his underwear. What gave it away was a strange “bulge” that did not go unnoticed during the checks.
The discovery at the airport
The facts date back to last October 4, when Alberto Hernandez Castillo, originally from Cuba but resident in the USA, landed at Miami airport, Florida. Upon his arrival at the airport, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent selected him for secondary screening and issued a binding declaration to confirm which items he was bringing into the country. The man listed only a carry-on bag and a fanny pack, answering “no” to all other questions on the questionnaire, including the one about introducing wildlife.
The controls and the “bulge”
During the checks, however, the officers noticed an “unexplained swelling” in the front part of the pelvis. After a more in-depth investigation, as stated in the complaint, it emerged what the passenger was hiding: after being taken to a secure inspection area, a search revealed that Hernandez Castillo was hiding six cylindrical containers of transparent plastic, each wrapped in adhesive tape and some with a black net attached near the openings.
Ten live birds
The tubes were hidden in black pockets sewn into the underwear and ten live birds were found inside them, including two specimens of the blue grosbeak, a common species in the illegal poultry trade. Hernandez Castillo, arrested on smuggling charges, appeared in federal court in Miami and was released on personal bail of $25,000. The next court hearing is scheduled for October 26.