CHICAGO, IL – An unexpected item was among the recent seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agriculture Specialists (CBPAS) at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, as they intercepted an eviscerated goat brought in by passengers arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
On October 10, the CBPAS team directed two passengers to an agriculture secondary inspection upon their arrival. The thorough examination of their baggage revealed one pound of unidentified meat, two pounds of garden eggs, and 15 pounds of raw goat viscera encompassing the trachea, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and entire digestive system. The prohibited items were seized and destroyed promptly to avert the potential introduction of livestock diseases and plant pests into the United States.
LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, CBP Director, Field Operations-Chicago Field Office, accentuated the risks associated with bringing such items into the country.
She stressed the imperative of passengers being forthright in declaring all items they are carrying to prevent adverse ecological or economical consequences.
This incident follows a recent unusual seizure at Minneapolis – Saint Paul International Airport, where CBPAS confiscated a small box containing giraffe fecal material.
Such instances underscore the varied and unexpected nature of items passengers attempt to bring into the U.S., and the essential role of CBP Agriculture Specialists in safeguarding the nation’s agriculture and natural resources.