Source: Office of United States Attorneys
SAN DIEGO – Juandaniel Medina, the third individual in the past several weeks to have been charged with illegal trafficking of protected exotic birds through Ports of Entry in the Southern District of California, appeared in court today. Federal agents detained Medina at the San Ysidro Port of Entry after discovering seven live Amazon parrots in a cardboard box on the passenger floorboard. According to a federal complaint, Medina was the driver and registered owner of a vehicle in which U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials found the birds; he admitted paying $700 cash for the parrots with the intention of breeding and or reselling them in the United States in the future.
Cardboard box on the passenger floorboard; one of the captive birds peering out from inside the box
USFWS has identified six of the birds as Red-Lored Amazon Parrots. Fortunately, all seven of the parrots are alive and thriving at a quarantine facility managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The seven Amazon parrots seized from GARCIA’s truck
The arrest follows the recent prosecution of another individual caught smuggling Amazon parrots through the same port of entry, highlighting a troubling pattern of illegal wildlife trade through Southern California.
“The illicit parrot trade reflects a broader crisis in wildlife protection—where profit outweighs preservation.” aid U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “Bird smuggling is not a victimless crime. These animals suffer, and the consequences to public health and the environment can be catastrophic. I thank U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their extraordinary coordination and vigilance in protecting both public safety and animal welfare.
According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, Amazon parrots are native to Mexico, the West Indies, and northern South America. There are approximately thirty species of Amazon parrots, and all Amazon parrot species are listed on either Appendix I or Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (“CITES”).
Illegally imported birds bypass health screening and quarantine, which are required to protect the nation from infectious diseases. Avian influenza (bird flu), for instance, can spread through feathers, droppings, or even airborne particles and has previously caused massive culls of farm birds in the U.S. Bird flu is highly contagious and can cause flu like symptoms, respiratory illness, pneumonia and death in humans and other birds including birds in United States poultry farms. Many other diseases that can be transmitted from different animals and can have disastrous effects, that is why it is necessary to quarantine animals entering the United States to limit and safeguard against this potential disease transmission.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Evangeline Dech.
DEFENDANT Case Number 25-mj-3169
Juandaniel Medina Age: 24 Lindsay, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Importation Contrary to Law – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 545
Maximum penalty: 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Homeland Security Investigations
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.