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No huevos, Mexico! Illicit egg seizures spike at border
An evidence photo shows eggs seized at the border with Mexico as authorities have seen an uptick in attempted smuggling.
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Authorities say dozens of people have tried smuggling eggs across the border from Mexico this year — with 1,600 eggs in total being seized in the region.
“Travelers need to be aware that raw egg imports from Mexico are prohibited,” said Roger Maier, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman. “Since January, area CBP officers have encountered more than 90 people attempting to import raw eggs from Mexico.”
The majority of the people who tried to cross with eggs abandoned them to authorities at checkpoints “without consequence,” he said. CBP has issued 16 civil penalties, totaling $4,000, to those who tried to hide their haul of huevos.
Maier said nationwide egg seizures from Mexico are up 29% compared to a year ago.
The uptick in seizures comes as egg prices have spiked to a record high, at almost $5 a dozen, amid an outbreak of bird flu.
Smuggling is not the only egg-related crime during the shortage. In Pennsylvania earlier this month, 100,000 eggs were stolen out of the back of a tractor-trailer.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Agriculture Department predicted egg prices could rise more than 40% as the Trump administration outlined that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest another $1 billion into fighting bird flu.
The bottom line, Maier said, is that bringing in eggs from south of the border can expose the U.S. to diseases, such as bird flu.
“Travelers are prohibited to bring in fresh eggs, raw chicken, unprocessed avian products and/or live birds into the United States,” he said. “Travelers are encouraged to declare all agriculture products to CBP officers and agriculture specialists, failure to declare may lead to potential fines and penalties.”
