Smuggler Caught At Airport With 35 Live Finches Stuffed Inside Hair Curlers

A smuggler was caught red-handed at JFK Airport in New York after trying to smuggle 35 live finches stuffed inside hair curlers that he’d brought from Guyana. Kevin Andre McKenzie secured the curlers inside his clothes but was busted by customs agents after he got off a JetBlue flight from Georgetown, NY Post reports.

1. McKenzie was offered $3,000 to traffic the finches to the US. Finches are incredibly popular in Brooklyn and Queens, where high-stakes singing competitions featuring the birds are widespread. The competitions see finches in cages being put face-to-face in public parks and then seeing which bird will sing 50 notes first. This can earn betters big money, with some finches being worth big money.
2. Authorities are aware of the finch competitions and are on the lookout for smugglers. “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 complaint filed by authorities in the Eastern District of New York read. “A finch who wins these competitions becomes valuable and can sell for more than $10,000.”
3. McKenzie isn’t the first person to be caught doing this. CBP agents at JFK and other NYC-area airports have made multiple busts over the years of people coming from Caribbean countries with birds to be used for the singing competitions. A similar bust was made just earlier this month when a 26-year-old from Guyana brought in 29 live birds.
4. The birds were concealed pretty well. While it’s hard to imagine how finches survived the flight stuffed inside curlers, covered with a mesh cloth, and being concealed inside McKenzie’s clothes, it’s understood the birds were unharmed.
5. McKenzie could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. At present, he’s out on $25,000 bond after being charged with illegal importation of wildlife. However, he could face serious time behind bars if found guilty at court.