BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection has compiled its top 10 seizures and arrests for fiscal year 2015, which runs from October 2014 to September 2015, at the Port of Buffalo. The seizures demonstrate the important role CBP officers perform in protecting the nation.
“The CBP officers at the Port of Buffalo work tirelessly to protect our nation’s security,” said Acting Port Director Cary Frieling. “This is a small picture of the tremendous work they do, day in and day out.”
The seizures represent the vast array of threats encountered at the Port of Buffalo in the commercial and passenger environments. They further portray the efforts of CBP employees to prevent the importation of illegal items and protect U.S. commerce.
The top 10 seizures and arrests for the Port of Buffalo in fiscal year 2015 were:
October 8, 2014 – CBP INTERCEPTS FIRST-IN-NATION INVASIVE PEST AT LEWISTON
CBP agriculture specialists at the Lewiston Bridge intercepted an invasive insect, Phaecasiophora fernaldana Walsingham, a moth from the Tortricidae family, while inspecting a truck hauling an ocean container carrying pump valves. This was a first-in-nation pest discovery. The moth was not known to exist in the Western Hemisphere.
October 30, 2014 – CBP DISCOVERS ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST DESTRUCTIVE PESTS
CBP agriculture specialists at the Lewiston Bridge discovered three live Khapra Beetle larvae, one of the world’s most destructive insect pests, inside a shipment of rain ponchos from China.The shipment was sealed and re-exported to Canada.
November 14, 2014 – THREE INDIVIDUALS ARRESTED IN SMUGGLING ATTEMPT
CBP Officers encountered a 50-year-old Canadian male citizen operating a commercial tractor trailer carrying rolled steel. During the secondary examination, a 30-year-old Albanian male citizen and 20-year-old Albanian female citizen were discovered hidden inside the truck cab.The Canadian citizen was arrested and charged with bringing in aliens in exchange for financial gain.The Albanian citizens were arrested and charged with illegal entry.
December 12, 2014 – CBP OFFICERS SEIZE COCAINE HIDDEN INSIDE TIRE
CBP officers at the Rainbow Bridge encountered a 28-year-old U.S. female citizen who was referred for secondary examination. Officers discovered six vacuum-sealed bags inside the spare tire of her vehicle. The bags contents tested positive for cocaine, . The six bags weighed approximately 12 pounds with a street value of over $200,000. The female was arrested and turned over to agents from Homeland Security Investigations.
February 5, 2015 – PASSPORT IMPOSTER ARRESTED
CBP officers at the Peace Bridge arrested a 38-year-old Irish female citizen who attempted to enter the U.S. using another person’s passport. The female presented a Canadian passport bearing a different photo and name when attempting to enter the U.S. She was arrested and charged with misuse of a passport.
February 9, 2015 - COUNTERFEIT PERFUME SEIZED
CBP officers at the Peace Bridge detained two shipments totaling over 6,800 bottles of perfume for further examination. A closer inspection by CBP import specialists revealed the bottles were counterfeit, bearing marks that were identical or nearly indistinguishable from registered trademarks. The two shipments of perfume, with an MSRP of over $660,000 were seized. 
April 2, 2015 – SEIZURE OF OVER $300,000 IN UNDECLARED TOBACCO
CBP officers at the Lewiston Bridge encountered a tractor trailer going to Canada during an outbound examination. A manifest presented listed the commercial cargo as toys. A secondary examination resulted in the discovery of boxes containing loose-leaf tobacco. A subsequent HSI investigation revealed that the tobacco was being smuggled into Canada to avoid paying applicable duties. The tobacco was seized.
April 23, 2015 – SEIZURE OF LEAD CONTAMINATED BABY CLOTHES
CBP officers at the Lewiston Bridge, working in collaboration with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, examined a shipment of children’s clothing manufactured in China. Preliminary findings resulted in the discovery of possible lead contamination. Samples were shipped to CPSC's roduct Testing and Evaluation Center which confirmed that the clothing contained excessive and illegal levels of lead on component parts of the clothing. The shipment was seized under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act and destroyed.
May 26, 2015 – CBP OFFFICERS ARREST WANTED FELON
CBP officers at the Lewiston Bridge arrested a 59-year-old male with an outstanding warrant out of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, for aggravated felonious sexual assault.The man was turned over to U.S. Marshals.
June 29, 2015 – CBP INTERCEPTS FIRST-IN-NATION INVASIVE PEST AT BLACK ROCK 
CBP agriculture specialists at the Buffalo rail border crossing in Black Rock, New York, inspected a shipment of marble slabs from Italy. The container was destined to Minneapolis.During the inspection, a pest resembling a beetle was discovered and forwarded to a USDA entomologist who identified the insect as Dryophthorus corticalis, a wood-boring weevil.This is the first time this insect has been detected at a U.S. port of entry.The shipment was re-exported back to Canada.