As the old saying goes, “a bird in the trouser is worth 66 in the bush”, or at least that’s what one man caught at a Cuban airport seems to think.
A male was arrested in Ignacio Agramonte International Airport in the Cuban city of Camaguay after being caught with, wait for it, dozens of tiny birds down his trousers.
The man, who has not been named for legal reasons so we have labelled him ‘The Bird Crotcher’, was stopped by officers after strange bulges were spotted in his trousers. The male proceeded to tell custom officials that he was concealing a pigeon in his nether regions as a gift for his grandson.
According to The Daily Mail, when asked to remove his trousers, several “frightened little finches and hummingbirds” were discovered – 66 in total.
Authorities confirmed that all of the birds were rare species and had probably been stolen under an order that would equate to several thousand euro, some of which had their beaks sealed so they would not be heard chirping.
‘The Bird Crotcher‘ was almost successful in his trip after the metal detector at security failed to pick up the tiny feathered contraband.
Hermogenes Yonsiver, a customs officer who was on duty at the time the incident occurred explained: “As soon as he knew the game was up he tried to lie his way out of it and say he was carrying a pigeon.
“He said, ‘What I have here is a pigeon that is a gift for my grandson’ but that too was a lie. He then wanted to continue on his way.
“But he was forced to take down his trousers, and we found all these frightened little finches and hummingbirds, some of whom had their beaks sealed shut so that we wouldn’t hear their singing”.
Unfortunately two of the birds were dead when authorities asked the man to strip. The man is reportedly still being questioned and could face a two-year prison sentence.
