Add The California Post on Google A pair of accused smugglers allegedly tried to sneak more than 60 protected reptiles across the US-Mexico border in a vile scheme that left many of the animals dead, federal prosecutors say.
Georgina Bribiesca Chavez, of Tijuana, was arrested last Monday as she allegedly tried to cross into the US in a Volkswagen packed with a bizarre haul: four venomous pit vipers, three caimans, a baby crocodile and more than 60 other reptiles.
A pair of accused smugglers sneaked more than 60 protected reptiles over the Mexican border in a vile scheme that left many of the animals dead, federal prosecutors say.
The Mexican national, 66, ran a years-long scheme to smuggle exotic reptiles in and out of the US with her trafficking partner, Salvador Pelayo of Chula Vista. Pelayo, 28, was arrested in July and, like Chavez, faces federal charges in the US for trafficking exotic wildlife.
On the morning of August 10, Chavez applied for entry into the US at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, telling a Customs and Border Protection officer that she had nothing to declare, court papers state.
While checking her identification, the officer discovered that Chavez had an arrest warrant related to a long-term wildlife trafficking investigation. She was taken into custody, and her vehicle was seized.
The following morning, CBP officers assigned to the seized-vehicle lot inspected Chavez’s red Volkswagen, where they made a sickening discovery: A compartment behind the rear bench seat contained pillowcases that had been knotted closed and sealed with tape.
One of the pillowcases was moving, as if something living were inside. The CPB officer called for backup.
That day, the pillowcases were transported to the San Diego Zoo for examination and handling.
Zoo staff opened the packages and found 60 abronia lizards, four venomous yellow-blotched palm pit vipers, three caimans, one baby crocodile, and one indigo snake.
All three caimans died before the San Diego Zoo could save them. As of last week, the remaining animals were stable and remained under the Zoo’s care.
“These animals were not cargo—they were living creatures subjected to dangerous conditions for profit,” said US Attorney Adam Gordon.
Prosecutors say Chavez and Pelayo began working together to traffic wildlife into the US to sell to American buyers in 2023.
Federal investigators launched a sting against the pair 18 months ago, using undercover agents to buy protected turtles as officers spotted Chavez and Pelayo sending and receiving wildlife at shipping centers around San Diego.
In March 2025 undercover agents purchased four protected Mexican box turtles from Pelayo and a partner in Mexico for $6,000, with Chavez meeting the undercover agent in person to deliver the live animals.
The turtles were in bad health, likely because they were caught in the wild and had contracted a respiratory disease, prosecutors say. Three months later all four had died.
On another occasion in March 2025, another undercover agent purchased four protected Mexican and Yucatan box turtles from their partner in Mexico, to be shipped to New York. The agent received the turtles and transferred them to the Buffalo Zoo.
Pelayo and Chavez made tens of thousands of dollars in profits from the sale of exotic animals to buyers in the US, according to court records.
At times, they would buy protected wildlife that was sourced in the US and export it to Mexico, where customers there would purchase the rare animals.
For example, Chavez was observed picking up Eastern box turtles native to New York at a shipping center in San Diego, which she smuggled into Mexico in the trunk of her red Volkswagen, prosecutors say.
Chavez and Pelayo have pled not guilty. Chavez is being held in federal custody and is due in court for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 27. Pelayo’s next court date is in October.
