Man Caught Smuggling 35 Songbirds at J.F.K. Airport

On Monday, a man from Guyana was apprehended at a New York airport after being caught smuggling nearly three dozen finches.

According to officials, when Kevin Andre McKenzie’s flight arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Customs and Border Protection officers pulled him aside for an inspection.

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During the test, they discovered 35 birds concealed in his clothes, stuffed inside hair rollers. The rollers were covered with netting and then wrapped around McKenzie’s jacket and boots.

He said he was paid $3,000 to smuggle the birds into the United States. He was charged with illegally bringing the finches into the country. It is unclear if someone else has been arrested in connection with the incident.

According to an inquiry, birds like these are often entered in “singing competitions” in New York’s Brooklyn and Queens communities.

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People place bets on which bird has the best voice, and the winner is chosen by a judge. A good finch will fetch more than $10,000. Finches from Guyana are thought to sing better and therefore are more desirable.