Man smuggles live finches into JFK using hair curlers

U.S. customs officials say a man attempted to smuggle 34 live finches through John F. Kennedy International Airport earlier this week, stuffing the colorful finches inside hair rollers. Officials say Francis Gurahoo was planning to sell the birds, which he brought from Guyana, for about $3,000 each to be used in singing contests in Brooklyn and Queens. In these popular contests, people place wages on which bird has the best voice. According to a complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York, Gurahoo was hoping to make more than $100,000 from the sales, but the birds were detected during a customs exam.

Read more in the Washington Post.

Header Image: A chestnut-bellied seed finch (Oryzoborus angolensis). A man was recently caught trying to smuggle 34 live finches into JFK airport. ©Alastair Rae