Woman attempts to smuggle 20 parrots through Hidalgo port of entry
A woman was arrested Monday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found her to be attempting to smuggle parrots.
Norma Edith Simpson was charged with attempting to import 20 yellow-headed amazon parrots by concealing them in a bag through the Hidalgo port of entry, according to a criminal complaint.
On Monday, Simpson was traveling from Mexico into the United States through the vehicle lane when she was referred to a secondary inspection.
It was there that officers discovered a bag hidden underneath a third-row seat covered by clothes and toys.
An officer opened the bag and found the 20 parrots inside.
Simpson was then interviewed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Homeland Security Investigation special agents.
Simpson stated that she bought the parrots from her uncle’s friend in Mexico and was bringing them to the U.S. to sell on Facebook Marketplace, according to the complaint.
Additionally, she admitted to not declaring the parrots upon entry to the officers.
Simpson then refused permission for authorities to search her phone and stated that the phone contained photos of an incarcerated relative and didn’t want to be implicated in their criminal activities.
She also refused to give her home address, phone number or any sort of identification, the complaint said.
In order to legally import the parrots, Simpson would have needed a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora or CITES permit and license, which she didn’t have.
Simpson is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis in McAllen federal court Tuesday afternoon.
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