Man Arrested At JFK After 35 Birds Found In His Clothing
Here’s something you don’t see – or hear – every day.
A man from Guyana was busted at JFK International Airport in New York City on Monday for allegedly smuggling 35 live birds intended for “singing contests.”
Photographs show the tiny finches were stuffed inside hair rollers sealed with perforated netting and then attached to the inside of the man’s jacket. Officials said these types of birds are often entered into “singing contests” in Brooklyn and Queens where people wager on the birds.
A finch that wins these competitions can then sell for more than $10,000 according to authorities.
For the second time in less than a month, @CBP officers at JFK Airport found finches hidden in hair rollers within a passenger's baggage.
— CBP Troy Miller (@CBPTroyMiller) April 24, 2021
▪️ April 17: https://t.co/7QmDd1flt5
▪️ March 28: https://t.co/SC0KBcx497 pic.twitter.com/aY4BjBiAGu