Man caught at JFK smuggling 34 finches in hair curlers

A combination of photos provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York shows a bag containing hair curlers used to smuggle live finches into the United States from Guyana and a finch inside one of the rollers in New York. Photo by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York via AP.

The Associated Press

Federal authorities say a 39-year-old Connecticut man has been caught trying to smuggle nearly three dozen live finches through John F. Kennedy Airport in order to sell them for singing competitions.

Francis Gurahoo was arrested Sunday after arriving on a flight from Georgetown, Guyana. Prosecutors say customs officials found the 34 live birds in his carry-on luggage hidden inside individual plastic hair curlers.

Gurahoo was arraigned Monday on a charge of unlawful wildlife smuggling. Information on his lawyer wasn't immediately available.

Officials say the finches from Guyana are prized. They are used in singing contests in Brooklyn and Queens where wages are placed on the birds with the best voice. Prosecutors say Gurahoo said he planned to sell them for about $3,000 each, for a total haul of over $100,000.

Last December, customs officials at JFK Airport found 70 live finches hidden inside hair rollers in a duffel bag from a passenger arriving from Guyana.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says bird smuggling could threaten agriculture through the possible spread of diseases such as bird flu.