Traveler Caught Trying to Smuggle 70 Live Birds in Hair Rollers

A passenger on a flight from Guyana arrived in New York City over the weekend and was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents.

Turns out the guy was trying to smuggle some birds into the country. He had 70 live finches stuffed into hair rollers and hidden in a big duffel bag. Agents didn't arrest the man at John F. Kennedy International Airport, instead they blocked him from entering the country and put him on a flight back to his home.

The birds stuffed in the plastic hair curlers are popular with Caribbean immigrants who use them in singing contests. The finches were seized and quarantined until being handed over to the Department of Agriculture.