Border Officers Seize And Destroy Cheese Wheels Hidden In Tire Well
Border officers searching the tire well of a station wagon found several wheels, but they weren’t spares.
Instead of a Michelin tire, officers found 10 wheels of prohibited cheese weighing in at 116.5 pounds — a dairy discovery worth nearly $700, officials said.
Officers were performing inspections at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry when the driver of a Chevrolet HHR said he had no plants, fruit, meat, or vegetable products to declare in the primary inspection booth Dec. 28. Customs and Border Protection officers initiated a search and discovered the cheese.
CBP officers seized and destroyed the cheese, and assessed a $697.84 fine.
“During this time of the year, it is not uncommon for people who spend time in Mexico to attempt to return to their U.S. homes with prohibited goods,” said Hector Mancha, U.S. Customs and Border Protection El Paso port director. “We would remind those travelers that the CBP inspection process is thorough and violators face the risk of significant civil penalties.”
Border officers have made another 21 seizures of prohibited food and agricultural items since the Dec. 28 incident, including two incidents at the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection lanes. Violators were fined $500 and lost their SENTRI crossing privileges. The items seized included raw pork, bologna, pork skins, tamales, eggs, fresh chicken, hawthorn apples, oranges, mangoes, sweet potatoes, yams, passion fruit, tangerines and live plants. CBP officers assessed $6,097.84 in penalties.
“The best course of action to avoid penalties and help prevent the spread of pests and disease in the U.S. is to declare all your items to CBP,” Mancha said. “Every traveler is given multiple opportunities to declare their goods. If they declare the item and it is prohibited, they can abandon it without incident. However, if they fail to declare the item the product will be seized, and they will face a $300 civil penalty.”
