U.S. border officers uncovered a cache of endangered reptiles after spotting movement inside a pillowcase in a woman’s vehicle during a stop at the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said. The woman had been detained because of an outstanding arrest warrant.
Georgina Bribiesca Chavez, 66, of Tijuana, Mexico, was arrested earlier this month on wildlife trafficking charges tied to an alleged yearslong reptile smuggling operation. Prosecutors say Chavez helped move exotic reptiles both into and out of the United States with an alleged trafficking partner, Salvador Pelayo, who was arrested in July on a similar federal charge, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
Chavez was taken into custody on Aug. 10 as she attempted to cross from the U.S. into Mexico, the office said. After Customs and Border Protection officers discovered the outstanding warrant connected to a wildlife trafficking investigation, they arrested her and seized the vehicle.
During a search of the car the following day, officers found a concealed compartment behind one of the rear seats. Inside were pillowcases that had been tied and taped shut, prosecutors said. When one of the bags appeared to move, officers sent the pillowcases to the San Diego Zoo for evaluation.
Zoo staff opened the pillowcases and found dozens of live reptiles: 60 abronia lizards, four venomous yellow-blotched palm pit vipers, three caimans, one baby crocodile and one indigo snake. Several of the species are classified as endangered or threatened and are protected under international wildlife agreements.
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California
The three caimans died before they could be treated at the San Diego Zoo, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Even after her arrest, Chavez never told CBP officers about the live animals in her car, leaving them abandoned for nearly 24 hours in the August heat in San Ysidro,” the news release said.
Authorities said the remaining stolen reptiles were stable and receiving care at the San Diego Zoo.
“These animals were not cargo — they were living creatures subjected to dangerous conditions for profit,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a statement.
During her first court appearance on the trafficking charges on Tuesday, Chavez pleaded not guilty, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. They said her alleged partner, 28-year-old Pelayo, has also pleaded not guilty.
Citing court documents, the office said Chavez and Pelayo started trafficking exotic reptiles into the U.S. in 2023 with the intent to sell them. Their activity prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to open an undercover investigation into the alleged scheme, which found that the two were involved in multiple undercover sales of protected turtles. They are accused of sending and receiving wildlife at shipping centers in the San Diego area.
Authorities have alleged that Chavez and Pelayo made tens of thousands of dollars from the sales of exotic animals.
