Photos Courtesy of U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York
The 34 live finches were allegedly discovered in Gurahoo’s carry-on luggage, with each bird hidden in a plastic hair-curler.
By Michael V. Cusenza
A man traveling to NYC from Guyana was arrested Sunday at John F. Kennedy International Airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle nearly three-dozen live birds into the country, according to federal prosecutors.
Francis Gurahoo, 39, allegedly concealed 34 live finches in his carry-on luggage, with each feathered creature ensconced in a plastic hair-curler.
Gurahoo’s Customs and Border Protection declaration stated that he was entering the United States without any wildlife. According to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Gabriel Harper, Gurahoo admitted that he had intended to smuggle the finches into the country and to avoid quarantine by placing the birds inside of his carry-on luggage. Gurahoo said that he had planned to sell the finches for approximately $3,000 each (totaling approximately $100,000). He also admitted that he knew what he did was wrong but was motivated by potential financial gain, the complaint notes.
According to federal officials, CBP officers working at JFK have intercepted numerous passengers trying to bring finches, which are small, seed-eating birds, into the U.S. from Guyana by concealing them in various manners without declaring the birds on the required importation forms.
“My investigation has revealed that individuals keep finches to enter them in singing contests in Queens and Brooklyn,” Harper said. “In such contests, often conducted in public areas like parks, two finches sing and a judge selects the bird determined to have the best voice. Many who attend the singing contests wager on the birds. A finch that wins these competitions becomes valuable and can sell for in excess of $5,000. Although certain species of finch are available in the United States, species from Guyana are believed to sing better and are therefore more highly sought after. An individual willing to smuggle finches into the United States from Guyana can earn a large profit by selling these birds in the New York area.”
