A woman identified by federal prosecutors as a Tijuana resident was arrested Aug. 10 at the San Ysidro Port of Entry when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered 69 live animals hidden in a concealed compartment of her Volkswagen. The animals, including venomous vipers, caimans and a baby crocodile, were allegedly stuffed inside taped-shut pillowcases.
Georgina Bribiesca Chavez, 66, told a CBP officer she had nothing to declare. However, a records check revealed an outstanding warrant connected to a wildlife trafficking investigation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
CBP seized the vehicle, and officers discovered the animals the following morning when they inspected it. Behind the rear seat, they found a hidden factory compartment containing pillowcases that had been knotted shut and sealed with tape. One of the pillowcases was moving.
The animals were taken to the San Diego Zoo, where staff identified 60 abronia lizards, four venomous yellow-blotched palm pit vipers, three caimans, a baby crocodile and an indigo snake. The DOJ stated that more than 60 of the reptiles are protected under international treaties.
Prosecutors allege Chavez did not disclose the animals to officers, leaving them inside the vehicle for nearly 24 hours in the August heat. All three caimans died, while the remaining animals were stable and under the zoo's care. Chavez has pleaded not guilty to a federal wildlife trafficking charge and is being 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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Prosecutors allege Chavez and Pelayo had been trafficking wildlife together since 2023 and earned tens of thousands of dollars from selling exotic animals.
During one alleged undercover transaction in March 2025, Chavez reportedly delivered four protected Mexican box turtles to an agent for $2,600 cash shortly after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. According to prosecutors, all four turtles died after being transferred to the Oakland Zoo. They were believed to have been wild-caught and were already in poor health, suffering from respiratory disease.
Pelayo is also 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 the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Chavez and Pelayo face Lacey Act trafficking charges, which carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. !"More than 60 other reptiles protected under international treaties were also found." "More than 60 other reptiles protected under international treaties were also found." !"A baby crocodile found inside the car by border patrol."