Fishermen held with smuggled birds

TWO FISHERMEN were arrested on Good Friday morning with 30 birds believed to have been smuggled from neighbouring Venezuela. They were held in a joint sting exercise involving Customs and Excise officers and a Coast Guard officer who were on patrol off the waters of Chacachacare. An informed source also told Newsday, the birds were bull finches and that all of them were already dead. The source added that the bull finches were drowned by the smugglers who threw them into the sea while they were still caged. “They were trying to get rid of their illegal cargo by trying to dump it when they saw the customs vessel approaching them,” the source said.

The source revealed that the birds were being smuggled into TT from Venezuela and taken to Staubles Bay where they were charged by Customs and Excise Division officers. Game Wardens and police were also present at Staubles Bay to identify the species of birds. The source disclosed that the smugglers were charged with the illegal importation of restricted/prohibited goods and are due to appear before the Comptroller of Customs or one of his representatives on Tuesday morning. Furthermore, the source revealed that the two persons needed a licence from the Forestry Division to import the birds in TT.  He said the smugglers were not armed when they were arrested by members of the Customs Marine Interdiction Unit.

The source said that the smugglers’ boat, a pirogue, was detained by the customs officers pending the outcome of the matter. He said that there has been an increase over the last year in the illegal smuggling of endangered birds and wildlife like monkeys from the Venezuelan mainland to TT. The source said the smugglers had been using the waters off TT’s western peninsular as their rendezvous point on the wildlife smuggling routes, hence the Customs Marine Interdiction Unit increasing their patrols to counteract such illegal activities.