Bird traffickers arrested in Mérida

MÉRIDA, YUCATAN.- Three bird traffickers were detained by the state police on Merida’s Periférico on Sunday, June 12th.

The subjects were caught in possession of six cages with 14 birds known as Dominicans, three of which were already dead, suffocated by the heat, as they were being transported in the trunk of the car.

The suspects tried to deceive the SSP police officers by showing a false letter of authorization from the Semarnat.

The arrest occurred at approximately 2 in the afternoon, at kilometer 42 of the Periferico. The Kia Río with license plate number YWY-800-C was driven by Álvaro DCH, 33, who was accompanied by his brother Jesús DCH, 27 from Kanasín, and Noé EPK, 28, from Komchén.

The Police stopped them because their car windows were much darker than that established by law. After they were stopped, a search of the vehicle was carried out and six cages with the 14 Dominicans, three of whom were dead, were discovered in the trunk.

The subjects said that they captured the birds on the outskirts of Maxcanú, but alleged that they did so with the authorization of Semarnat, for which they exhibited a letter from the federal agency.

After checking with the legal department, it was established that the document was fake, for which reason the bird traffickers were detained.

They were transferred to the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic because trafficking with endangered species is a federal crime. The cages and birds were also sent there. The vehicle was taken to an SSP facility.