Officers with Customs and Border Protection thwarted a parrot-smuggling attempt in Laredo.
CBP officers stopped a 39-year-old Mexican man and a 37-year-old American woman at the border on January 4, according to a press release. They found three parrots hidden in their belongings.
“Smuggling birds poses significant risks,” said Laredo Port Director Alberto Flores in the release. “Birds may carry various diseases that endanger native wildlife and U.S. agriculture, which could lead to serious economic impacts.”
The unnamed suspects tried to enter the United States from Mexico on the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, according to the release. They were driving a 2022 GMC Denali SUV.
CBP officers referred the vehicle and passengers for secondary inspection. There, they found they were hiding three red-lored parrots in their personal belongings.
ICE-HSI began a criminal investigation, then arrested the male driver and female passenger, according to the release. They turned the parrots over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Red-lored parrots are protected under the global Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, regulated by the FWS. According to the National Audubon Society, the tropical birds rank among the “least concern” for conservation.
CBP officers intercept smuggling attempts as part of the agency’s mission to protect American agriculture.
“Smuggling birds into the United States is illegal and a serious criminal offense, involving penalties such as fines and imprisonment,” the release reads.
Last year, CBP intercepted disturbing rodent and monkey meat at the Detroit airport in August 2025, as The Dallas Express reported at the time. In July, border officers in Hidalgo stopped an SUV trying to smuggle a load of 20 parrots stuffed in a bag.
Additionally, a woman pleaded guilty in May 2025 to federal charges after trying to smuggle “five diaper-wearing monkeys” from Mexico into Texas, as The Dallas Express also reported.
