CJIA launches probe into recent spate of ‘towa-towa’ smuggling
The Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri has launched an investigation into the recent spate of the smuggling of finches into the United States. Within a month, three persons have been caught attempting to smuggle the birds into that country.
A source informed that aviation security at the airport along with the police have launched independent investigations to determine how the smugglers passed through security undetected. All three of the recent cases are being investigated.
Just two days ago, a thirty-sixyear-old Guyanese, who departed on a Jet Blue flight from the CJIA was detained by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the John F Kennedy International Airport in New York. He had 35 live birds in curlers in his possession. The curlers with the birds were secreted in his jacket and around his ankles.
Kevin Andre McKenzie, the accused smuggler, appeared in federal court in Brooklyn and was released on a US$25,000 bond.
The source explained that from preliminary in-quiries, at the time of security screening McKenzie was not in possession of the birds. Security authorities are currently reviewing surveillance footage to determine at what point the birds came into his possession and how they were given to him.
Security personnel at the airport have also identified a person of interest and are reviewing additional surveillance footage to determine what part he played.
During his detainment, McKenzie waived his Miranda rights and told agents he had been offered US$3,000 to smuggle the birds. He was allegedly paid US$500 before his flight and was to receive the remaining US$2,500 after he got through customs.
On April 17, CBP agriculture specialists discovered 40 finches concealed in hair rollers inside the baggage of a Guyanese man.
A CBP release 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 US Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors who directed CBP to seize the finches.
That man was deemed inadmissible for entry into the United States and was placed on a Guyana-bound flight later that same day.
On March 28, another Guyanese man was detain-ed at the John F Kennedy International Airport with 29 finches in his luggage.
The song birds, once again 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, but instead paid a US$300 civil penalty and was allowed to withdraw his request for admission, and subsequently placed on a Guyana-bound flight.
The Tanager Finch - also locally known as ‘towa-towa’ - is highly prized for its singing, with competitions held weekly across the country. Similar competitions have cropped up abroad among the diaspora in areas such as Brooklyn, creating a market for the birds.
Their importation into the US requires a valid import permit and a mandatory 30-day quarantine to prevent the spread of contagious diseases.