U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents seized almost 200 pounds of bologna, according to an agency press release.
Members of the CBP’s Field Operations Agriculture Specialists from the Columbus, New Mexico, port of entry found 22 rolls of illegal Mexican bologna inside a Nissan Rogue on Feb. 7, the CBP said in a statement Thursday. The 22 rolls amounted to 194 pounds of bologna, the agency’s statement read.
Man busted trying to smuggle 194 pounds of Mexican bologna into the US https://t.co/50Gc4KF1RA pic.twitter.com/nfXEcTQjwV
— New York Post (@nypost) February 12, 2021
The driver of the vehicle, a 49-year-old resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was given a $500 civil penalty, according to CBP. (RELATED: Human Smuggling Attempt Stopped By Multiple Law Enforcement Agencies In Texas)
The seized Mexican bologna is illegal in the U.S. because the pork product “has the potential for introducing foreign animal diseases to the U.S. pork industry,” the statement reads.
“It is important that travelers understand they should declare all items they are transporting from abroad to avoid fines and penalties,” CBP Columbus Port Director Tony Hall said in the statement. “A properly declared prohibited item can be abandoned at the port without consequence.”
CBP agents confiscated 154 pounds of bologna from a vehicle attempting to enter the U.S. at the Texas border in 2019, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
There are other instances of smuggling at the U.S.-Mexico border that continue to be a problem for CBP agents.