Tijuana Merchant, Worker Indicted in Scheme to Smuggle Exotic Parrots

A federal grand jury indicted a Tijuana businessman and his employee Thursday in an alleged scheme to smuggle more than $250,000 worth of exotic baby parrots into the United States.

U.S. Atty. Peter K. Nunez said the six-count indictment against Jose Jesus Gomez-Valdovinos, who operates a retail shop in Tijuana, and Fernando Rojas-Villanueva, relates to the smuggling of hundreds of baby yellow-naped Amazon parrots from January through April this year.

Birds Are Popular, Colorful, Smart

Prosecutors claim Gomez-Valdovinos, 44, is one of the primary suppliers of parrots in the bustling smuggling trade that produces large numbers of the popular, colorful birds for sale in this country.

“His name pops up some way or another in almost every one of these cases we handle,” Assistant U.S. Atty. Charles S. Crandall said. “His involvement is of such a great dimension, it’s bound to put some kind of a dent in the market.”

Yellow-naped Amazon parrots, regarded as the “Cadillacs” of parrots, are typically found along the Pacific slope of Central America, from the eastern part of the Mexican state of Oaxaca south to northwestern Costa Rica.

The birds, protected from commercial exploitation under an international treaty because of their dwindling numbers in the wild, are in high demand as domestic pets because of their intelligence and skill in mimicking human sounds. The commercial value of one bird can exceed $1,000.

Federal officials are particularly concerned about the smuggling of yellow-napes because a high percentage of their young carry Newcastle disease. Domestic poultry is highly susceptible to the disease, which has no known cure and spreads so rapidly that entire populations of fowl must be eradicated to prevent further contamination.

Because of the disease, yellow-naped Amazon parrots must be quarantined before entering the United States.

Suspect Linked to 4 Separate Shipments

Nunez said the indictment came from an ongoing investigation spearheaded by special agents for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Earlier this year, the investigation led to the arrest of four other people in connection with parrot smuggling.

Prosecutors say that this year, Gomez-Valdovinos is responsible for at least four separate shipments of parrots, which he concealed inside panels of vehicles frequently driven by Rojas-Villanueva, 41. In addition, government officials say Gomez-Valdovinos was negotiating another deal to smuggle a new batch of birds into this country and also was wanted for smuggling about 80 of the parrots into this country in 1983.

The two men were arrested by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent Saturday in Chula Vista while attempting to obtain about $20,000 in back payments for a shipment of birds, which remains in custody.

Each of the defendants faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1.5-million fine.