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4w ago

Mexican Man Charged with Smuggling Protected Parakeets into U.S.

Naim Lajud Libien faces federal charges after 12 endangered Orange Fronted Parakeets were found concealed in his boots and vehicle, with some birds dead or injured.

The birds were wrapped in pantyhose and stuffed into boots. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office/TNS/TNS)
Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a 54-year-old Mexican citizen at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry on Tuesday after investigators allegedly found six exotic parakeets being smuggled in his cowboy boots and another six hidden in his Jeep’s car seat. (Courtesy of U.S. Attorney’s Office)
The birds were Orange Fronted Parakeets, like the one seen here

Overview

  • Naim Lajud Libien, a 54-year-old Mexican citizen, was apprehended at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry on April 29, 2025, while attempting to smuggle 12 Orange Fronted Parakeets into the U.S.
  • Six parakeets were found wrapped in nylon stockings inside Libien's boots during a secondary inspection, with bulges around his ankles alerting Border Patrol officers.
  • A subsequent search of Libien's Jeep Grand Cherokee uncovered six more parakeets hidden in a seat cushion, two of which were dead and others injured.
  • The Orange Fronted Parakeet, listed under CITES Appendix II, requires quarantine to prevent zoonotic diseases like avian influenza; Libien bypassed these regulations.
  • Libien faces federal charges under 18 U.S.C. § 545, with a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, as investigations continue by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Homeland Security Investigations.