Man caught smuggling 34 birds in hair curlers wanted to sell them for $145,000
A 39-year-old man has been caught trying to smuggle nearly three dozen live finches through New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport in order to sell them for singing competitions, authorities say.
Francis Gurahoo, from Connecticut, was arrested Sunday (local time) after arriving on a flight from Georgetown, Guyana.
Prosecutors say customs officials found the 34 live birds in his carry-on luggage hidden inside individual plastic hair curlers.
Gurahoo was arraigned Monday on a charge of unlawful wildlife smuggling.
Officials say the finches from Guyana are prized. They are used in singing contests in Brooklyn and Queens where wages are placed on the birds with the best voice.
Prosecutors say Gurahoo said he planned to sell them for about US$3,000 each ($4,364), for a total haul of over US$100,000 ($145,491).
Last December, customs officials at JFK Airport found 70 live finches hidden inside hair rollers in a duffel bag from a passenger arriving from Guyana.
US Customs and Border Protection says bird smuggling could threaten agriculture through the possible spread of diseases such as bird flu.
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