A man who boldly claimed that a conspicuous bulge in his trousers was simply "all him" now faces up to two decades in federal prison after border agents discovered he was actually smuggling two rare, sedated parakeets.
The Suspicious Border Stop
Jesse Angus Martinez, a 35-year-old resident of Tijuana, Mexico, was stopped by US Customs and Border Protection agents at the Mexico-US border on October 23. When questioned about the hard-to-miss protrusion in his groin area, Martinez confidently - and somewhat boastfully - insisted it was just his penis and entirely natural.
However, upon further inspection, the truth proved far more unusual. Agents discovered two unconscious orange-fronted parakeets, heavily sedated and concealed in small brown bags within Martinez's clothing.
A Pattern of Avian Smuggling
According to court documents released by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California, Martinez admitted he hid the birds because he lacked proper paperwork to bring them into the United States. He claimed the parakeets were pets given to him by his uncle in Mexico and that he intended to "keep them in a shoe box in his van."
This wasn't Martinez's first attempt at bird smuggling. Court records reveal he had previously tried to bring a parrot into the country in September, concealing the bird in a towel under his arm. That attempt failed when authorities confiscated the parrot, which was "subsequently euthanised."
Serious Consequences for Wildlife Crime
Martinez was indicted on Friday on federal smuggling charges and now faces severe penalties if convicted. He could be fined up to £191,000 ($250,000) and sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison.
The two orange-fronted parakeets at the centre of this case received veterinary treatment and quarantine after their ordeal. Officials confirm the birds are now in stable condition.
Orange-fronted parakeets are listed as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. The species faces significant threats from the pet trade, with more than 8,000 birds legally captured between 1998 and 2008, despite Mexico banning parrot trade in 2008.
Additional threats to these parakeets include habitat loss and degradation. US authorities require all imported wildlife to undergo quarantine to prevent the spread of diseases like bird flu.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service is currently investigating the incident as part of ongoing efforts to combat illegal wildlife trafficking.
