Ricardo Alonzo, Smuggling Protected Parrots, California 2025

San Diego resident Ricardo Alonzo was sentenced to three months in prison for smuggling 17 protected parrots and parakeets into the United States without proper quarantines, which are designed to prevent the spread of diseases.

Alonzo was also ordered to pay $3,262 in restitution to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the care and quarantine of the parakeets. Three of the 17 smuggled birds died.

This case highlights the critical work of law enforcement officers in protecting wildlife and natural resources from exploitation.

According to court records, Alonzo crossed the border on May 4, 2025, at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. During inspection, the defendant lied and twice stated that he had nothing to declare. The defendant’s lies were uncovered in secondary inspection, when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer noticed some lunch box-sized bags hidden under the rear seat of the car.

The bags contained three chickens and 17 juvenile birds. The birds were later identified as 10 Burrowing Parakeets, five Yellow-Crowned Amazon Parrots, and two Red-Lored Amazon Parrots. All three species are protected and listed under Appendix II to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabet F. Brown.

Defendant: Ricardo Alonzo

Court Case Number: 25CR2234-AJB

City and State: San Diego, California

Crime Date: May 4, 2025

Sentence: Three months in prison, $3,262 in restitution

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