NEWS

High-risk foreign goods intercepted here

Emilie Eaton
eeaton@enquirer.com
A 2011 photo of agriculture specialist Mark Murphy, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, examining bags of rice in Oakland, Calif.

High-risk agriculture products coming from China, India and Saudi Arabia en route to various places throughout the United States were intercepted by Customs and Border Protection agents in Cincinnati this week.

The products included fresh and processed poultry and pork products coming from countries with known fatal disease outbreaks, according to a news release. They also included fresh plums, eggs, plant products and invasive species.

"CBP Agriculture Specialists are the first line of defense to protect U.S. agriculture, forest, and livestock industries from exotic and destructive plant pests and animal diseases," said Angela Dilland, chief supervisory CBP officer.

Agriculture specialists started the eight-day special operation to target shippers who use the Internet to sell agriculture products not allowed in the United States.

Shippers often use fake names and addresses and provide unrelated cargo descriptions in order to evade detection by CBP agents, according to the news release.

In this operation, agents found meat placed in fish packets and tea bags, fruits inside sealed cookie bags and seeds within candy wrappers.

The contraband came from countries with disease outbreaks such as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and Foot and Mouth Disease.

The operation resulted in $98,000 in fines.

"The success of this operation represents the diligence the Port of Cincinnati Agriculture Specialists demonstrate on a nightly basis as they serve to protect our agriculture industry from these invasive threats," Dilland said.