SAN FRANCISCO
San Francisco Chronicle
- Bob Egelko
Friday, December 1, 2006

A Redwood City man has pleaded guilty to smuggling live eggs from
Eurasian eagle owls into the United States and painting them like
Easter eggs to slip them past U.S. Customs inspectors, federal
prosecutors said Thursday.

Jeffrey Diaz admitted Tuesday that he imported the eggs from Austria
in violation of a treaty that prohibits international trade in
endangered species, said U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan's office.

Prosecutors said Diaz brought in 12 painted owl eggs in two trips in
March and April 2005, carrying them in Easter baskets with plastic
grass and hand warmers. Two of Diaz's employees reported the
smuggling to federal agents in July 2005, Ryan's office said in legal
filings.

His lawyer said Diaz ran an environmental bird control business
called Ronin Air Falconry Service.

The birds are native to Asia, Europe and the Middle East and are
among the largest owls in the world, with wingspans of 5 to 6 feet.
Their population declined in the first half of the 20th century
because of hunting and disease, but the species has been recovering
under protected status in Europe, according to conservation groups.

Three of the eggs smuggled by Diaz hatched, and the owls are being
cared for in wildlife centers.

THIS STORY RAN IN THE NORTH BAY EDITION

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