Two Men Charged with Smuggling 21 Live Birds Through Miami International Airport
Alberto Hernandez Castillo, aged 40, and 41-year-old Roberto Perez Quincosa, both U.S. residents originally from Cuba, are facing charges related to smuggling after U.S. Customs discovered live birds hidden on them at Miami International Airport during separate arrivals from Cuba in October. On October 4, Hernandez Castillo was found with ten birds concealed in pouches sewn into his underwear and was subsequently charged with smuggling, later released on a bond of $25,000. Two days later, on October 6, Perez Quincosa arrived with 11 birds concealed in hair roller tubes, lacking the necessary documentation, and stated his intention to breed and sell them. Both species are protected under the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Wildlife trafficking represents a $20 billion annual industry, often involving low-level couriers.
Key facts
- Alberto Hernandez Castillo, 40, was charged with smuggling after 10 live birds were found in tubes sewn into his underwear at Miami International Airport on October 4.
- Roberto Perez Quincosa, 41, was caught on October 6 with 11 birds hidden in hair roller tubes in a belt-like garment upon arrival from Havana.
- The birds included yellow-faced grassquits, blue grosbeaks, Cuban melodious finches, and Cuban bullfinches.
- Hernandez Castillo was released on a $25,000 bond; Perez Quincosa's custody status is unknown.
- Both men are Cuban-born legal permanent U.S. residents and lacked permits to import wildlife.
- Perez Quincosa intended to breed and sell the birds for $100 to $120 each.
- Wildlife trafficking is the world's fourth-largest organized crime, valued at up to $20 billion annually.
- Paul Reillo of Florida International University said couriers are often low-level 'sacrificial mules' in a larger network.
Entities
Artists
- Alberto Hernandez Castillo
- Roberto Perez Quincosa
- Paul Reillo
- Sarah Kuta
- Clara McMichael
- Ivan Pereira
- Ana Maria Soler
- Rebecca Chao
- Brian Hamacher
- David Goodhue
- Vincent van Gogh
Institutions
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Miami International Airport
- ABC News
- CBS News
- NBC 6 South Florida
- New York Times
- Miami Herald
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- International Union for Conservation of Nature
- Tropical Conservation Institute
- Florida International University
- Smithsonian Magazine
Locations
- Miami
- United States
- Cuba
- Havana
- Greater Antilles
- Mexico
- Central America
- South America
- Longmont
- Colorado
- North Dakota
- China
- Turkey