SoCal men convicted of smuggling exotic birds across the US border

Two San Diego men have been sentenced for smuggling endangered birds into the United States, one to prison and the other to thousands in fines.

Ricardo Alonzo was sentenced to three months in prison for smuggling 17 birds – two Amazon red parrots, five yellow-crowned parrots and 10 burrowing parakeets – into the US without detaining them to prevent the spread of disease, Justice Department officials said in a statement.

In the second case, a judge ordered San Ysidro resident Carlos Abundez to pay $74,330 for smuggling 14 keel-billed toucans into the dashboard of a Volkswagen Passat, the government said. Some of the birds suffered injuries, including broken tails and legs.

The two cases provide the latest glimpse into an ongoing problem plaguing the border: exotic birds – many of which are native to Mexico or Latin America – are removed from inside the suspect’s vehicles or clothes.

In October, a Tijuana man was charged after police found two orange-colored parakeets emblazoned on the front of his underwear. In June, a 24-year-old man was arrested after police found seven Amazon parrots in a cardboard box in his passenger seat. Two months earlier, authorities arrested a man after they concluded he had smuggled six birds in his boots and another six in his car – two of which died.

Attorneys for Alonzo and Abundez did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Mike Parr, president of the American Bird Conservancy, a non-profit organization dedicated to bird habitat conservation, said it’s not surprising that some of the birds are being trafficked. He said captive parrots have become accustomed to humans and are loved by pet owners.

“They’re decorative. They make great pets. They talk. People just love parrots,” said Parr, who also co-authored “Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World.”

Alonzo was arrested in May at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Investigators found bags under the back seat of his 2015 Dodge Durango containing 17 birds, along with three chickens, used as decoys to “hide protected parakeets and parrots from border officials,” according to his plea.

Most of the birds were very small. Two red Amazon parrots died “due to a difficult journey,” the plea agreement said.

All three species of birds in Alonzo’s car were protected and listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, prosecutors said. The surviving parrots and parakeets were sent to the Bronx Zoo, the agreement said.

Doug Ault, assistant director of the US Office of Fish Enforcement, said Alonzo’s action undermines efforts to protect endangered birds, and also violates laws aimed at preventing “the introduction of zoonotic diseases and other pathogens into the US.”

“This defendant used illegal smuggling practices that disregarded the laws of the United States, the lives of the birds he was smuggling, and the wildlife in the United States,” Southern District of California US Atty. Adam Gordon said in a statement.

In his plea agreement, Alonzo admitted he received $40,000 for selling the birds. As part of his sentence, he was ordered to pay $3,262 to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to cover the care and quarantine of the parakeets.

Abundez, another defendant, was arrested in June 2025 at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. According to his plea agreement, he told authorities he was headed to McDonald’s and had nothing to say.

During the search, US Customs and Border Protection officers found several keel-billed toucans, including one attached to the underside of the car’s dashboard.

Abundez was sentenced on March 3.

His $74,330 payment will go into the Lacey Act Reward Fund, which compensates tipsters who report wildlife crimes, state authorities said.