El Paso, Texas -- A 26-year-old woman was fined $300 for bringing 10 live birds and plants into the U.S. from Mexico Monday night at the Bridge of the Americas, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The birds were hidden in the 2005 Toyota Corolla the woman was driving. The woman's name was not released by Customs and Border Protection.

"Bird smuggling is an issue because there is the potential that the animals could introduce a communicable bird disease like Avian Flu or Exotic Newcastle's Diseases (END) to the domestic bird population," William H. Molaski, port director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in El Paso, said in a news release. "Previous END outbreaks have cost the government and farmers millions of dollars because entire flocks that were infected had to be eradicated to contain the spread of the disease."

Three canaries, two love birds, four parakeets, and one cockatiel were found in the car. Three live aloe vera plants also were found hidden in the car.