San Diego
A federal jury on Tuesday convicted a 64-year-old man of conspiring to import and sell exotic parrots and other rare birds, ending an investigation into a 13-person smuggling ring.
Harold Yanik of Charlotte Courthouse, Va., was convicted of conspiring to smuggle the birds and of breaking customs laws, Assistant U. S. Atty. Cynthia Millsaps said. Yanik, who remained free on bail, is scheduled to be sentenced July 2, she said.
The 12 other people charged all pleaded guilty previously to conspiracy and other counts, Millsaps said. Yanik was the broker who arranged the sale of the birds, she said.
The birds--cockatoos, macaws and parrots caught in Southeast Asia as well as Central and South America--were shipped to Mexico, then smuggled into the United States through the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry, Millsaps said.
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