In a shocking incident at the US-Mexico border, federal prosecutors reported the arrest of a woman from Tijuana after a significant discovery by US Customs and Border Protection. The authorities found a staggering 69 live animals, including dangerous vipers, caimans, and even a baby crocodile, all allegedly crammed into pillowcases that were sealed shut with tape. These shocking occurrences unfolded within a hidden compartment of her Volkswagen, according to information released by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
Identified as 66-year-old Georgina Bribiesca Chavez from Tijuana, she was taken into custody on August 10 while attempting to cross into the United States through the bustling San Ysidro Port of Entry, as confirmed by the Justice Department.
During an initial checkpoint stop, Chavez reportedly informed a CBP officer that she had nothing to declare. However, a routine check against records unveiled an active warrant linked to an ongoing wildlife trafficking probe.
Customs officers subsequently confiscated the Volkswagen, although the startling find of the animals did not occur until they conducted a thorough inspection the next day.
Within the rear compartment of the vehicle, cleverly concealed by factory design, officers uncovered pillowcases that had been securely knotted and taped shut. This concealed stash revealed the extent of the alleged smuggling operation.
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.
The arrests followed an approximately 18-month undercover investigation by the US 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 US-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 US 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.
Chavez and Pelayo face Lacey Act trafficking charges carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.