Man tries to sneak 12 birds into CA in boots, car, feds say. It ends tragically
A man tried to sneak 12 protected birds into California from Mexico in his boots and car, and two of the birds were later found dead, federal officials said.
A third orange-fronted parakeet had what appeared to be a broken neck, and three others were “in poor health,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California said in an April 30 news release.
Naim Lajud Libien, 54, from Mexico, was arrested and is facing a charge of importation contrary to law, prosecutors said.
Defense attorney information wasn’t listed in court records the morning of May 1.
Lajud Libien tried to enter the United States on April 29 through a San Diego port of entry, prosecutors said.
He was patted down after an officer with U.S. Customs and Border Protection “noticed bulges around his ankles,” according to prosecutors.
The bulges turned out to be six parakeets, each wrapped in nylon stockings and bound at the feet, prosecutors said.
The parakeets — native to Costa Rica and Mexico — were given food and water in a cage while awaiting veterinary care, prosecutors said.
The next day, officials searched Lajud Libien’s Jeep Grand Cherokee after hearing birds crying inside, according to prosecutors.
Six more birds were in a seat cushion and were similarly tied and wrapped, prosecutors said.
Among those six, two were dead, a third appeared to have a broken neck and the rest were alive but ill, prosecutors said.
An update on the parakeets wasn’t immediately available May 1.
In the news release, U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said “smuggling at the border takes many forms, but the tragic impact on animals forced into such perilous conditions is deeply troubling.”
This story was originally published May 1, 2025 at 1:41 PM with the headline "Man tries to sneak 12 birds into CA in boots, car, feds say. It ends tragically."
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