14 Birds Found Tied to Legs of Smuggler at LAX

bird_smuggler_lax.jpg
via Customs and Border Protection
Last month, Customs and Border Protection were waiting when Song Dong of Garden Grove returned to Los Angeles from Vietnam. During inspection, they initially noticed bird feathers and droppings on his socks and upon a further look, "14 live birds attached to two flat pieces of clothe that were wrapped around his calves," according to the United States Attorneys Office.

Agents were first tipped off to Dong last December when piece of abandoned checked luggage of his contained 18 birds, five of which that were dead.

They also connected Song to Duc Le, also of Garden Grove, who was found with 51 Asian songbirds and 70 bird cages.

If convicted, Done and Le face maximum sentences of 10 and 26 years in person, respectively.

Email This Entry


Comments (9) [rss]

"Agents were first tipped off to Dong" = NSFW IMO.

Loooove that pic. Haaaate that crime.

Funny how the police are looking at socks-- does that pass for investigation these days?

This is almost "news of the weird," bizarre...

Did you see those little masks? It looks like he smuggled them from Guantanamo Bay! Next thing you know were going to find out he was waterboarding them.

oh man, i would have loved to hear that conversation in the line at LAX.

10 to 26 years in prison? Naw. These guys should spend 10-25 stuffed inside a dirty sock and locked in a suitcase stored in the cargo hold of a transpacific flight.

My post-gym socks = Gitmo West.

Post a comment (Comment Policy)

Tips

About LAist

LAist is a website about Los Angeles. More

Editor: Zach Behrens Co-Editor: Lindsay William-Ross Publisher: Gothamist

Contribute

Latest Tip:

There is a bomb threat at CSUN right now, with emergency personnel responding.
[more]

Latest Photo:

Subscribe

Use an RSS reader to stay up to date with the latest news and posts from LAist.

All Our RSS

Links