Federal agents arrested a 49-year-old Fountain Valley man Tuesday morning, May 2 on suspicion of trying to smuggle 93 songbirds into the United States from Vietnam, most of which died in transit.

A criminal complaint alleges that Kurtis Law was discovered last month at Los Angeles International Airport to have brought in Asian songbirds. Law maintains a home in Vietnam.

The birds were placed in Law’s suitcases with little room for the birds to move about, federal officials said, and all but eight died. Aside from at least some being protected, the birds could carry diseases.

Law hadn’t claimed any of the birds, discovered when he passed his luggage through an X-ray machine, federal officials said, adding that the birds were inside in small plastic boxes with holes.

He was detained for questioning and later interviewed again. The surviving birds were placed in quarantine. Authorities obtained an arrest warrant on Monday, May 1 before his Tuesday arrest.

Law was charged with smuggling goods into the United States, a felony offense that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. He is accused of violating an international treaty that aims to ensure that the trade of wild animals and plants doesn’t threaten their survival.

Various federal agencies were investigating Law, including the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.