CBP seizes more than 150 pounds of black market bologna
EL PASO - It's no baloney!
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agricultural specialists seized more than 150 pounds of bologna at the El Paso, Texas entry port this week, officials announced Friday.
CBP says Mexican bologna is a prohibited product due to its pork content. Pork products from overseas could introduce foreign animal diseases to the U.S. pork industry.
The agency said one of its officers stopped a Chevrolet pickup truck with a Texas license plate that had entered the port from Mexico. The officer spotted red rolls in the rear seat of the truck and asked the driver what they contained. The driver said he had frozen rolls of turkey ham.
CBP officers selected the vehicle for a second examination and found the substance to be the contraband deli meat weighing 154 pounds. The hotly contested sandwich filler was seized and destroyed and the driver was released.
Some of the bologna after unloading. (Twitter/CBP West Texas)
"It is important that travelers understand they should declare all items they are transporting from abroad to avoid fines and penalties. A properly declared prohibited item can be abandoned at the port without consequence," said El Paso Port Director Beverly Good.
While anti-terrorism is the primary goal of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the federal agency assumes "the responsibility of protecting America from all threats,” according to the release.
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