Parrot Smuggling "Organised”

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31772, 31 August 1968, Page 40

Parrot Smuggling "Organised”

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, August 30.

Organised parrot smuggling between Australia and New Zealand appeared to have reached a sophisticated plane, the Wellington Magistrate’s Court was told today, when the second man in a week appeared on smuggling charges.

John Thomas O’Grady, aged 44, a clerk, pleaded guilty to three charges—importing into New Zealand 28 birds without the permission of the Minister of Agriculture or any authorised person, failing to declare that he was importing 28 birds into New Zealand, and importing into New Zealand $9O in New Zealand bank-notes without the consent of the Reserve Bank.

He was convicted by Mr D. J. Sullivan, S.M., and remanded to next Friday for a probation report and sentence.

Mr M. B. Horton, appearing for the'Collector of Customs. said that O’Grady arrived at Wellington Airport

from Sydney’ on May 15. He was seen to enter the men s toilet in the overseas passenger lounge and to come out some time later, still carrying a brown zip bag. O’Grady passed through Customs, where it was found the bag contained only used clothing. In the meantime, a Customs officer and a policeman found in the toilet a bag identical to the one carried by O’Grady. It contained 28 birds. The bag was in a locked cupboard, which had to be forced open. Mr Horton said that the lock on the door had not been fitted by the airport authorities.

O’Grady gave the “usual story” to the police—that he had been approached by an unknown person in Sydney with the request to take a bag to Wellington, said Mr Horton.

In New Zealand the consignment of birds could realise $l2OO, and on the Ameri-

can or European markets it could fetch $2900, said Mr Horton.

He said O’Grady had said he had been given $9O in Sydney. This money had been found in his possession and was the subject of the third charge. The second charge arose from the fact that O’Grady had not declared the birds on the form he filled out when entering the country. Referring to what he said were several apparently connected incidents of parrot smuggling in the last two -s, Mr Horton said the fitof the lock to the airport cupboard indicated that this type of organisation had reached a more sophisticated level.

William Richard Thomas, aged 43, a spray painter, who was to have been sentenced today on two charges relating to another attempt to smuggle in birds, and to which he had pleaded guilty, was remanded to next Friday to be sentenced together with O’Grady. Mr D. S. G. Deacon, appearing for both men, reserved his submissions.