Federal agents arrest Tijuana woman after discovering 69 exotic animals hidden in vehicle compartment at border

A 66-year-old Tijuana resident faces federal wildlife trafficking charges after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers uncovered 69 live animals concealed in a hidden vehicle compartment at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Georgina Bribiesca Chavez was arrested on August 10 while attempting to cross into the United States, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. Records checks during processing revealed an outstanding warrant connected to a wildlife trafficking investigation, prompting additional scrutiny of her vehicle.

CBP agents seized Chavez’s Volkswagen but did not discover the animals until the following morning when they inspected the vehicle more thoroughly. Behind the rear seat, officers found a factory-installed concealed compartment containing pillowcases that had been knotted and sealed with tape. One pillowcase was actively moving when discovered, indicating live animals inside.

The San Diego Zoo received the pillowcases and identified their contents: 60 abronia lizards, four venomous yellow-blotched palm pit vipers, three caimans, one baby crocodile, and one indigo snake. The animals had remained in the sealed vehicle for approximately 24 hours during August heat without Chavez disclosing their presence to authorities. Three of the four caimans died, while the remaining animals stabilized under zoo care as of last week.

Chavez pleaded not guilty to federal wildlife trafficking charges and is being held without bond. An approximately 18-month undercover investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allegedly determined that Chavez and accomplice Salvador Pelayo, 28, of Chula Vista, trafficked protected wildlife species together since 2023, generating tens of thousands of dollars in sales.

During an undercover transaction in March 2025, Chavez delivered four protected Mexican box turtles to a federal agent for $2,600 cash shortly after crossing the border. The turtles subsequently died at the Oakland Zoo after being transferred there, with prosecutors noting they were in poor health, likely wild-caught, and suffering from respiratory disease. Pelayo is separately accused of using an alias to ship four protected Mexican and Yucatan box turtles to an undercover agent in New York.

Both defendants face Lacey Act trafficking charges, which carry maximum penalties of five years imprisonment and $250,000 fines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the case with assistance from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and California Department of Fish and Wildlife.