U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents arrested a couple on May 3 after discovering 27 live parrots hidden inside a hollowed-out spare tire at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in Tijuana. Sydney Johnson and Brandon Marion now face federal smuggling charges in the Southern District of California, with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The birds included 11 orange-fronted parakeets and 16 white-fronted Amazon parrots. Both species are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Four of the 27 parrots died: one at the time of the rescue and three more during quarantine. The 23 surviving birds remain under government care.
A Pattern of Wildlife Trafficking at the Border
The Johnson-Marion case is the latest in a steady stream of wildlife smuggling attempts through the Tijuana corridor. San Ysidro, the world’s busiest land border crossing, has become a focal point for illegal parrot trafficking.
In April 2026, two San Diego men were sentenced in separate cases. Ricardo Alonzo received three months in federal prison for smuggling 17 birds, including red-lored Amazon parrots and burrowing parakeets. A federal judge ordered San Ysidro resident Carlos Abundez to pay $74,330 for smuggling 14 sedated keel-billed toucans inside the dashboard of his Volkswagen Passat.
In another 2025 case, a Tulare County man named Medina was charged after CBP agents found seven Amazon parrots in a cardboard box on his passenger floorboard. That case also carried a potential 20-year sentence. In October 2025, a Tijuana man was indicted after officers found two emaciated orange-fronted parakeets stuffed in his underwear.
Mexican Parrots Under Pressure
Mexican parrot species are frequently poached for the pet trade before being smuggled north. Mike Parr, president of the American Bird Conservancy, has said the demand is straightforward. Captive parrots become habituated to humans, making them popular with pet owners.
CBP conducts detailed vehicle inspections at San Ysidro, including checks of spare tires, dashboards, and hidden compartments. Trafficking protected species carries severe federal penalties, and recent sentencing trends show prosecutors treating these cases seriously.
Johnson and Marion’s case is pending in the Southern District of California. No arraignment date has been publicly announced. The case was first reported by Punto Norte.