Treyfish
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Accused pigeon smugglers stopped at the Canada-US border
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LEWISTON, N.Y. - A bird in the hand is one thing - but in your pocket?
Border agents at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge found four live birds inside the pockets of a pigeon collector and his travelling companion who were trying to enter the United States from Canada on the weekend.
The pair were stopped Sunday crossing from Ontario to New York state.
A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the two men told inspectors they were on their way to visit an uncle who lives outside Rochester.
The spokesman says the men - from Uxbridge, Ont. - were asked during a secondary inspection to remove their coats.
He says that's when the pigeons were found, wrapped and taped from neck to tail, in inside pockets.
The men, whose names were not released, were fined $1,000.
The case was referred to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and United States Department of Agriculture inspectors for possible criminal charges, says the spokesman, Kevin Corsaro.
One man told officers he is a pigeon collector who belongs to a club that trades and sells birds of various colours.
He said he was taking the birds to trade or sell to his uncle.
People bringing pet birds into the United States are required to arrange for a veterinary inspection at the border three to five days before entering to protect against the transmission of communicable diseases such as bird flu.
USDA inspectors took custody of the birds. :tiphat: http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2007/12/31/4747252-ap.html
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LEWISTON, N.Y. - A bird in the hand is one thing - but in your pocket?
Border agents at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge found four live birds inside the pockets of a pigeon collector and his travelling companion who were trying to enter the United States from Canada on the weekend.
The pair were stopped Sunday crossing from Ontario to New York state.
A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the two men told inspectors they were on their way to visit an uncle who lives outside Rochester.
The spokesman says the men - from Uxbridge, Ont. - were asked during a secondary inspection to remove their coats.
He says that's when the pigeons were found, wrapped and taped from neck to tail, in inside pockets.
The men, whose names were not released, were fined $1,000.
The case was referred to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and United States Department of Agriculture inspectors for possible criminal charges, says the spokesman, Kevin Corsaro.
One man told officers he is a pigeon collector who belongs to a club that trades and sells birds of various colours.
He said he was taking the birds to trade or sell to his uncle.
People bringing pet birds into the United States are required to arrange for a veterinary inspection at the border three to five days before entering to protect against the transmission of communicable diseases such as bird flu.
USDA inspectors took custody of the birds. :tiphat: http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2007/12/31/4747252-ap.html