Miami, Florida -
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO)
officers working at Miami International Airport (MIA) arrested a passenger
attempting to smuggle nine live birds. The passenger was arriving on a flight
from Havana, Cuba on Jan. 9.
CBP officers selected the individual for further
examination. During inspection, CBP officers discovered that the passenger was
concealing six birds in a fanny bag and three birds in the groin area. Both U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) were on-site for the investigation.
The individual was arrested and the birds were turned over
to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Miami Quarantine Station. The smuggling of live animals into the United
States is illegal per federal law.
“In addition to enforcing both immigration laws and customs
laws at the border, CBP enforces laws for many agencies including the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service,” said Miami International Airport Port Director
Christopher Maston.
The men and women of CBP are responsible for enforcing
hundreds of U.S. laws and regulations. On a typical day, CBP welcomes nearly 1
million visitors, screens more than 67,000 cargo containers, arrests more than
1,100 individuals and seizes nearly 6 tons of illicit drugs.
To see more U.S. Customs and Border Protection activity in
Florida, visit @CBPFlorida on Twitter.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border
agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management,
control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official
ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons
out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
