Man gets 4 months in prison for smuggling 14 birds inside his pants during flight from Vietnam

Man gets 4 months in prison for smuggling 14 birds

LOS ANGELES — A man who smuggled 14 Asian songbirds into the country by hiding them inside his pants during a flight from Vietnam to Los Angeles has been sentenced to four months in prison.

Sony Dong, of Garden Grove, was also ordered Monday to pay $4,000 in restitution to federal authorities caring for the birds.

The 46-year-old was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport last year after an inspector spotted bird droppings on his socks and saw feathers peeking out from under his pants. The birds were held in cloth wrappings attached to his legs and calves.

Co-defendant Duc (DUCK’) Le was sentenced to six months in prison. He was ordered to pay $25,000 in restitution.

Prosecutors have said Le was the ringleader of the operation.