The driver of the Volkswagen Passat said he had nothing declare, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.
But when a narcotics and human detection dog got a whiff under the steering wheel, which the authorities said had been covered with duct tape and cloth, it noticed something was amiss.
So did the officer handling the dog, who made a startling find while reaching for something that was hidden behind the cloth.
Stashed inside the vehicle’s dashboard were 14 live Keel-billed toucans, a threatened species of bird that is illegal to bring into the United States and can each sell for up to $5,000, the authorities said.
Native to southern Mexico down through Ecuador, including Venezuela, Columbia and Nicaragua, the birds appeared to have been sedated when they were discovered during an early morning inspection on June 25 at the Otay Mesa U.S.-Mexico border crossing in San Diego.
One of the birds “began to move rapidly in a flutter-like fashion,” investigators said in a federal criminal complaint.
The driver, Carlos Abundez, 35, of San Ysidro, Calif., told a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent that he was not aware how the toucans got into his car, and that he had no connection to any bird trade activity, according to a criminal complaint.
Mr. Abundez said that he had left his part-time residence in Tijuana, Mexico, late on the night of June 24 to cross the border into the United States to get McDonald’s when he saw two unfamiliar vehicles. He said that his car had been parked in the driveway and was locked.
He was charged on July 7 with smuggling and illegal importation, both of which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
After making his initial court appearance on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in San Diego, Mr. Abundez was released on $10,000 bond. He will be allowed to travel to his home in Mexico, and his arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 7.
The birds, which were identified as juveniles, had injuries that included broken tails and a broken leg, according to customs officers. After receiving veterinary care at the border, the toucans were transferred to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Import Center for quarantine. Authorities said they were in stable condition.
“Smuggling endangered birds by sedating them, binding their beaks and hiding them in car compartments is not just cruel — it’s criminal,” Adam Gordon, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, said in a statement.
Mr. Gordon said that the trafficking of exotic wildlife through border crossings in Southern California poses a serious threat to public health and agriculture.
“These birds bypass mandatory quarantine and screening, potentially carrying devastating diseases like avian influenza,” he said.
Paul W. Blake Jr., a lawyer for Mr. Abundez, declined to comment.
Neil Vigdor covers breaking news for The Times, with a focus on politics.
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