Passenger Tried To Smuggle 70 Live Finches Through JFK

If you thought people trying to smuggle entire hams on planes was weird, wait until you see this.

According to that sourcelink, a passenger tried to smuggle 70– that’s right, 70– live finches through JFK. They were each wrapped up in hair rollers.

A passenger attempted to smuggle dozens of live finches through New York's JFK airport — inside hair rollers. https://t.co/dmDYKuMhTZ

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) December 13, 2018

Travelling from Guyana in South America to New York, a man carrying a black duffel bag was subjected to a luggage search by border agents on December 8.

Hidden inside the bag officers discovered 70 live finches, each individually packed into orange and green hair rollers.

The birds are considered to be very popular pets among Caribbean immigrants, and are often used in ‘singing contests’, and a winning finch can sell for up to $10,000.

Previous attempts to smuggle finches into the US have resulted in multiple arrests, but the unnamed Guyanese citizen wasn’t detained on this occasion.

He was simply forced to go back home.

The birds were seized from the passenger, quarantined, and transferred to the Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services, amid concerns of potential disease.

In a statement on Tuesday, Troy Miller, the CBP Director of New York Field Operations, said: ‘CBP Agriculture Specialists are the first line of defense to prevent the introduction of animal diseases that have the potential to cause significant damage to the Nation’s agricultural economy.’

Moral of the story? If you want your holiday traveling to go smoothly, don’t stuff finches into hair rollers and try to sneak them through airports.

h/t Daily Mail