69 live reptiles found smuggle at Mexico border in wildlife bust

A woman identified by federal prosecutors as a Tijuana resident was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border before U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered 69 live animals — including venomous vipers, caimans and a baby crocodile — allegedly stuffed inside taped-shut pillowcases in a hidden compartment of her Volkswagen the following day, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.

Georgina Bribiesca Chavez, 66, of Tijuana, was arrested Aug. 10 while attempting to enter the U.S. through the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the Justice Department said. Chavez allegedly told a CBP officer she had nothing to declare, but a records check revealed an outstanding warrant tied to a wildlife trafficking investigation.

CBP seized the Volkswagen, but officers did not discover the animals until they inspected it the following morning. Behind the rear seat, they found a concealed factory compartment containing pillowcases that had been knotted shut and sealed with tape.

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One of the pillowcases was moving.

The bags were taken to the San Diego Zoo, where workers found 60 abronia lizards, four venomous yellow-blotched palm pit vipers, three caimans, a baby crocodile and an indigo snake, according to the DOJ.

Prosecutors said Chavez never told officers about the animals, leaving them inside the vehicle for nearly 24 hours in the August heat. All three caimans died. The other animals were stable and remained in the zoo’s care as of last week.

Chavez pleaded not guilty to a federal wildlife trafficking charge and was ordered held without bond. Her alleged trafficking partner, Salvador Pelayo, 28, of Chula Vista, was arrested in July and has also pleaded not guilty.

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The arrests followed an approximately 18-month undercover investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, though prosecutors allege Chavez and Pelayo had trafficked wildlife together since 2023 and made tens of thousands of dollars selling exotic animals.

During one alleged undercover transaction in March 2025, Chavez delivered four protected Mexican box turtles to an agent for $2,600 cash shortly after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. All four turtles later died after being transferred to the Oakland Zoo, prosecutors said. The turtles were already in poor health when they were acquired during the undercover operation and were believed to have been wild-caught and suffering from respiratory disease, according to prosecutors.

Pelayo is separately accused of using the alias “Jose Lopez” to ship four protected Mexican and Yucatan box turtles to an undercover agent in New York.

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.

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Chavez and Pelayo face Lacey Act trafficking charges carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.