Birds Pulled From Fanny Pack At Miami Int'l Airport
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Customs officials pulled six birds out of a traveler's fanny pack at Miami International Airport (MIA).
And there were three more in the traveler's groin area, officials said on Tuesday.
The passenger had arrived from Havana, Cuba on January 9th. While in the customs section of the airport, officers picked the passenger to undergo further examination.
That's when they discovered the birds inside a fanny pack, stuffed into rollers that had been covered with a mesh on the sides so they could not get out.
The traveler was arrested and the birds were turned over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Miami Quarantine Station.
Smuggling live animals into the United States is considered a federal offense.
Airport officials said a typical day for a Customs official includes nearly 1 million visitors, at least 67,000 screenings, nearly six tons of illicit drugs and more than 1,100 arrests.