Another Guyanese man nabbed with finches at JFK

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists discovered 40 finches concealed in hair rollers inside a Guyana man’s baggage at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday, the second case in just weeks. A CBP release yesterday said that officers discovered the finches during a secondary baggage examination after the 36-year-old man arrived on a flight from Georgetown, Guyana. CBP agriculture specialists consulted with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors who directed CBP to seize the finches.

The man, who was destined to an address in New York City, was not criminally charged; however, CBP assessed a US$300 civil penalty, deemed the man inadmissible into the United States and placed him on a Guyana-bound flight later that same day.

CBP agriculture specialists quarantined the finches and turned them over to United States Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services.

On March 28, another Guyanese man was detained at the John F. Kennedy International Airport with 29 finches in his luggage.

The song birds which were concealed in hair rollers were discovered during a secondary baggage examination after the 26-year-old arrived on a flight from Georgetown.

According to the CBP the unidentified man, who was destined to an address in New Jersey, was not criminally charged instead he paid a US$300 civil penalty and was allowed to withdraw his request for admission, and placed on a Guyana-bound flight.