The contraband in the form of red-colored rolls, called chubs, turn up time and again. In the more than 20 years Vasquez has inspected food products at border crossings, Mexican bologna has persisted as one of the most popular prohibited food items. But that doesn’t stop people from trying to bring the meat from Mexico. The bologna is not allowed across the border because it’s made with pork and could introduce a foreign animal disease into the United States. Customs and Border Protection officers at international bridges are also finding a popular contraband comfort food stashed in vehicles - Mexican bologna. Smuggling attempts at the U.S.-Mexico border during the COVID-19 pandemic include more than drugs. customs agents battle against Mexican bologna smugglersīy Angela Kocherga, El Paso Matters September 4, 2020 customs agents battle against Mexican bologna smugglers He said customers come for quality, freshness and prices.” The style of the cuts of beef, house marinades and ranchera music playing in the market also offer a taste of Mexico.Īt the border, U.S. “I know that it takes forever to burn.” CBP officers destroy the bologna by incinerating it at ports of entry and it does smell like a big hot dog roast.īack at the La Mejor Texas Meat Shop, manager Raul Burrell takes pride in his store. So has Vasquez tasted the bologna? “No, she said, chuckling. The penalty for not declaring a commercial amount of bologna is a $1,000 fine. citizens and legal permanent residents cross back and forth since CBP cannot stop them from returning home to the United States from Mexico. Though the border is closed to essential travel, U.S. One man had 35 rolls hidden under blankets in the backseat of his SUV, along with nine rolls of another illegal lunchmeat. Since mid-May, CBP officers at border crossings in El Paso have seized at least 1,000 pounds of bologna. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. They smuggle it across because they’re able to sell it per se under the table,” said CBP Supervisory Agriculture Specialist Katherine Vasquez. “It’s loved and they crave it for the most part. “I love Chimex and it’s very frustrating because we can’t cross it either,” she said. She grew up eating the best-known brand in Ciudad Juarez. While picking up steaks and short ribs for her family, she lamented she can’t buy Mexican bologna, too. Miriam Ortiz, a shopper at La Mejor Texas Meat shop in West El Paso understands the popularity of the lunchmeat from Mexico. Undeclared prohibited agriculture items will be confiscated and can result in the issuance of a civil penalty for failure to declare.Smuggling attempts at the U.S.-Mexico border during the COVID-19 pandemic include more than drugs. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Homeland Security are partners in the effort to protect American agriculture against the introduction of pests and diseases at our nation's ports of entry. The bologna was seized and destroyed by CBP per USDA regulations. The individuals were issued civil penalties for failure to declare commercial quantities of bologna. Further search resulted in the discovery of 13 rolls of prohibited pork bologna with a total weight of 120 pounds. During a secondary non-intrusive inspection, CBP Officers identified anomalies in the vehicle’s cargo area. The driver gave a negative agriculture declaration to the primary CBP Officer who referred the vehicle for a secondary inspection. citizen resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico presented himself for inspection via vehicle primary lanes. The second discovery was made at the Santa Teresa border crossing Feb.
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