SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A woman accused of participating in a years-long exotic wildlife trafficking operation appeared in federal court Tuesday after authorities found dozens of reptiles hidden inside her car at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
Georgina Bribiesca Chavez, a 66-year-old resident of Tijuana, Mexico, is facing a wildlife trafficking charge. Her alleged trafficking partner, 28-year-old Salvador Pelayo of Chula Vista, was arrested in July and faces a similar charge.
Authorities said Chavez was arrested last week while attempting to enter the United States in a red Volkswagen containing dozens of concealed reptiles, including four venomous yellow-blotched palm pit vipers, three caimans, a baby crocodile and more than 60 abronia lizards. An indigo snake was also found inside the vehicle…