A citizen of the United States pulled up to the Texas border on Thursday to re-enter the country and said he had nothing to declare. A Customs agent thought he saw meat products in the back seat of the 2012 Honda Odyssey and had him pull to the side for a secondary inspection.
When the unnamed 20-year-old El Paso resident said he had nothing to declare, he apparently forgot a few things, as agents found 320 pounds of pork bologna and 30 pounds of turkey ham hidden under blankets, under the seats, in the center console, and inside a duffel bag.
The person admitted it was all for resale in the U.S.; the meat was seized and destroyed by Customs and the driver got a $1k civil penalty.
Why is this such a HUGE deal? “With the recent detection of the African Swine Fever in the Dominican Republic, it is important that no pork products are brought into the U.S.” said CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector Mancha. “Pork products have the potential to introduce foreign animal diseases that can be detrimental to our agriculture industry.”
source: US Customs
photo: getty images