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Albuquerque man caught smuggling meat across the border − again
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Authorities say an Albuquerque man was caught for the second time this year trying to smuggle illicit bologna across the border overnight Thursday in El Paso.
Roger Maier, a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson, said a 52-year-old man was caught with 22 “large rolls” of the Mexican meat, weighing 242 pounds, and “undeclared” painkillers hidden in his vehicle at the Paseo Del Norte checkpoint.
Maier said the man, who tried to smuggle 55 rolls “of undeclared bologna” in January, could be fined up to $10,000 if found guilty in Friday’s seizure. The man was also issued a $1,000 promissory note for the 60 tablets of the opiate tramadol found in his vehicle.
“Pork products have the potential to introduce foreign animal diseases to the U.S., which can have a devastating impact to the U.S. economy and to our agriculture industry,” CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector Mancha said in a statement. “It is always best for travelers to declare any items acquired abroad to help CBP stop the introduction of potentially harmful products.”
Around 2 a.m., the man drove into the checkpoint and said he had no “fruits, vegetables, and meat products” to declare, Maier said. The man was referred for a secondary inspection, and CBP canine Harlee alerted agents to the rear cargo area of the vehicle.
“Agriculture Specialists continued their exam and located 22 rolls of bologna hidden beneath equipment in the rear of the vehicle,” he said. “CBP agriculture specialists also discovered 60 undeclared tramadol tablets in the center console.”
