U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 320 pounds of pork bologna and 30 pounds of turkey ham from Mexico last week at the Paso del Norte border crossing.
A suspicious CBP officer referred the vehicle driven by a U.S. citizen to secondary inspection and agricultural specialists determined that the driver was attempting to smuggle meat products into the U.S.
Border inspection is now even more essential given the outbreak of African swine fever in the Dominican Republic. Avian influenza is endemic in various states in Mexico The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Homeland Security are committed to prevent entry of meat and plant products that could potentially introduce pathogens and pests.
Unfortunately as with drugs, publicity is extended to cases with apprehension. Given the volume of traffic on our borders the reality of undetected consignment is self-evident. Although expensive to train, dogs are highly effective in detecting meat products and greater use should be made of their unique sense of smell to screen suspicious vehicles, the luggage of passengers and cartoned consignments.