El Paso, Texas is a hot smuggling destination for smuggling between the U.S and Mexico. The Paso Del Norte border crossing in El Paso saw a weird smuggling attempt as a woman was caught and fined for undeclared cheese.
Border Protection Officers in Texas Catches New Mexico Cheese Smuggler with Over 100 Pounds of Cheese
This is a bit of an odd story because the driver isn’t moving an illegal product or anything. It’s just that she was caught with so much without declaring it that the cheese becomes illegal. On September 6, just before 7 AM, a GMC Yukon came rolling in from Mexico. The CBP’s report states that the driver was a New Mexico native.
The woman would declare ten wheels of cheese—a respectable amount of cheese. After checking the trunk of the Yukon, the CBP agent found 50 extra wheels of cheese tucked under some blankets in the back seat! Each wheel of cheese was 2.2 pounds.
The smuggler was given a $1,000 fine and released while the cheese was destroyed after being seized. If you’re wondering why the CBP would be so severe about some illegal cheese; the agency works with the Department of Agriculture as well as the FDA in regards to food products being brought through U.S borders.
Everything must be declared or it’s contraband and the person possessing the undeclared food items is smuggling. El Paso Port Director Ray Provencio explained the bust:
“Travelers can import cheese commensurate with personal consumption levels. A few wheels would generally be fine but not 60. It was undeclared and that amount would be a commercial quantity and additional reporting requirements would apply.”
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