As the saying goes: three birds in the pants are worth six in the fanny pack. Maybe that’s not quite the expression you’ve always heard, but it does pair nicely with a story out of Miami, where customs officials say a traveler was busted trying to smuggle nine live birds into the country.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at Miami International Airport arrested a passenger who was trying to bring a few feathered friends with him after arriving on a flight from Havana, Cuba earlier this month, the agency announced.

Though it’s unclear if officials were tipped off by any tweeting, warbling, or other melodious bird noises, the passenger was selected for further examination, and officers discovered three birds in the groin area and six others in a fanny back he was carrying.

He was arrested and the birds were turned over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Miami Quarantine Station. It’s illegal under federal law to smuggle live animals into the U.S.

“In addition to enforcing both immigration laws and customs laws at the border, CBP enforces laws for many agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Miami International Airport Port Director Christopher Maston.

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