Venezuela detains German 'with 103 birds in luggage'

A German woman attempted to board a plane from Venezuela to France with 103 tropical birds hidden in her luggage, some of them endangered species, authorities said.

The birds were in boxes in her baggage when she was stopped Friday at a Caracas airport and the National Guard carried out a search, state prosecutors said yesterday.

The woman was charged "for the alleged offence of aggravated and planned smuggling," said officials responsible for enforcing environmental protection law.

She faces a possible six to 10-year prison sentence for "introducing or extracting wild flora and fauna specimens, their parts, derivatives or products from or to Venezuela," prosecutors said.