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STERLING, Va. – While most of the country watched football and holiday-shopped to wear off their tryptophan-induced comas, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Washington Dulles International Airport remained on the top of their game, highlighted by seizures of illicit narcotics, opioid pills, unreported currency, and prohibited agriculture products.
CBP officers seized this marijuana
and hashish Thanksgiving Day.
While examining international mail on Thanksgiving Thursday, CBP officers seized 945 grams of marijuana and 68 grams of hashish in a parcel destined to an address in Brussels, Belgium.
On Saturday, CBP officers seized 45 OxyContin pills from a Global Entry trusted traveler who arrived on a flight from Bogota, Colombia. Prescription medicines must be in their original container with a printed physician prescription label or accompanied by a physician’s prescription letter. Read more about traveling with prescriptions. The traveler was not arrested.
Also on Saturday, officers also seized $25,151 in unreported currency from a U.S. couple destined to Accra, Ghana. Travelers must report all currency more than $10,000 to a CBP officer when entering or leaving the country. Read more about currency reporting requirements.
K9 Phillip, of CBP's Beagle Brigade,
shows off the prohibited agriculture
he detected in passenger baggage.
Additionally, during the long holiday weekend, CBP agriculture specialists seized 230 prohibited plant products and 137 prohibited meat products, and issued $300 in civil penalties for failure to declare prohibited agriculture products. CBP generally sees an increase in prohibited agriculture products during the holidays when foreign citizens bring in food products to celebrate with family in the United States. To assist travelers in planning visits to the United States, CBP offers a brief description of items generally considered to be prohibited and restricted for entry into the U.S.
“These seizures illustrate our Customs and Border Protection officers’ and agriculture specialists’ steadfast vigilance and commitment to enforcing our nation’s laws every day while helping to protect our nation, our citizens, our economy and our natural resources from any potentially harmful threats,” said Casey Durst, CBP’s Director of Field Operations in Baltimore. “These seizures also illustrate the need for visitors to ‘Know Before You Go’ by visiting our Travel website to learn about the inspection process and products that are prohibited from the United States.”
All travelers, both U.S. citizens and foreign visitors, are encouraged to Know Before You Go to help expedite their international arrivals inspection. Travelers can find additional helpful advice on the Travel webpage.
CBP officers screen international travelers and cargo and search for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality. Every day, CBP seized an average of 4,657 pounds of narcotics, $290,411 in unreported currency, and 4,552 prohibited agriculture products last year across the United States. Learn about what CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2018.
