For the third time in a month a Guyanese has been detained at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after trying to smuggle finches into the United States (US).
Kevin Andre McKenzie, 36, was caught on Monday by US Customs and Border Protection officers with 35 live finches in hair curlers.
Yesterday he appeared in federal court in Brooklyn and was released on a US$25,000 bond
Reports from the New York Daily News and DailyMail.com explain that the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York filed a complaint with the Court that the birds were being imported for signing contests.
“In such contests, often conducted in public areas like parks, two finches sing and a judge selects the bird determined to have the best voice,” the US stated in the complaint. “Many who attend the singing contests wager on the birds. A finch who wins these competitions becomes valuable and can sell for more than US$10,000. Although certain species of finch are available in the United States, species from Guy-ana are believed to sing better and are therefore more valuable.” the complaint explains.
McKenzie is alleged to have entered the US on
Monday on JetBlue flight JB1966 from Georgetown and was selected for examination by customs officials.
He waived his Miranda rights and told agents he had been offered US$3,000 to smuggle the birds. He allegedly was paid US$500 before his flight and was to receive the remaining US$2,500 after he got through Customs.
He is the third Guyanese detained in under a month for this offence.
On April 17, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists discovered 40 finches concealed in hair rollers inside a Guyana man’s baggage.
A CBP release said that officers discovered the finches during a secondary baggage examination after the 36-year-old man arrived on a flight from Georgetown, Guyana. CBP agriculture specialists consulted with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors who directed CBP to seize the finches.
The man, who was destined to an address in New York City, was not criminally charged; however, CBP assessed a US$300 civil penalty, deemed the man inadmissible into the United States and placed him on a Guyana-bound flight later that same day.
CBP agriculture specialists quarantined the finches and turned them over to United States Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services.
On March 28, another Guyanese man was detain-ed at the John F. Kennedy International Airport with 29 finches in his luggage.
The song birds which were concealed in hair rollers were discovered during a secondary baggage examination after the 26-year-old arrived on a flight from Georgetown.
According to the CBP the unidentified man, who was destined to an address in New Jersey, was not criminally charged instead he paid a US$300 civil penalty and was allowed to withdraw his request for admission, and placed on a Guyana-bound flight.
The Tanager Finch- also known as towa-towa in Guyana is highly prized for its singing with competitions held weekly across the country. Similar competitions have cropped up among the diaspora in areas such as Brooklyn creating a market for the birds.
Their importation into the US requires a valid import permit and a -datory 30 days quarantine to prevent the spread of contagious diseases.
