Overview
- A federal grand jury charged Jesse Agus Martinez, 35, with importation contrary to law following an Oct. 23 stop at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.
- CBP officers reported finding two heavily sedated juvenile orange-fronted parakeets in brown sacks concealed inside his underwear after he claimed the bulge was his “pirrin.”
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents identified the protected birds, which were transferred to a USDA Animal Import Center for quarantine and are reported in stable condition.
- Prosecutors say CBP records suggest Martinez previously smuggled birds, and he faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
- Officials point to an April seizure of 12 parakeets—at least three died—as evidence of ongoing trafficking and the welfare risks to this vulnerable species.