NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A Guyanese man was arrested at John F.
Kennedy International Airport in New York on Monday for allegedly attempting to smuggle nearly three dozen songbirds into the United States.
According to a criminal complaint, Kevin Andre McKenzie, 36, landed at JFK on a JetBlue flight with 35 live finches inside several hair curlers, which were concealed in his suit jacket and beneath his pants legs.
Airport security stopped the 36-year-old, and the finches were found and seized.
According to the complaint, McKenzie then told federal agents he was offered $3,000 to smuggle the birds into New York. He says he was given $500 up front and was expecting $2,500 upon delivery.
A special agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notes finches can sell for $10,000 in the U.S. if they win popular songbird competitions that are held in Brooklyn and Queens.
“In such contests, often conducted in public areas like parks, two finches sing, and a judge selects the bird determined to have the best voice. Many who attend the singing contests wager on the birds. A finch who wins these competitions becomes valuable and can sell for more than $10,000,” the special agent wrote.
The agent notes that certain species of finch from Guyana are believed to sing better than the species found in the United States, making them more valuable.
“An individual willing to smuggle finches into the United States from Guyana can earn a large profit by selling these birds in the New York area,” the special agent wrote.
Multiple people have been arrested in the past for attempting to smuggle the songbirds into America.
Wildlife importers need a permit to bring animals into the U.S. and birds need to be quarantined for 30 days to prevent the spread of disease.
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