CUSTOMS

DULLES, Va. — Customs agents discovered zebra and giraffe bones in the baggage of a Virginia woman at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., last month, authorities said. >> Read more trending newsAccording to a news release on Saturday from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, agriculture specialists conducting a secondary baggage examination on Nov. 10 discovered bones in a passenger’s baggage. The woman, from Fauquier County, Virginia, admitted to agents that they were giraffe and zebra bones she found in Kenya and kept as souvenirs. @CBP Agriculture Specialists found zebra and giraffe bones while inspecting a passenger's bag @Dulles_Airport. Customs agents seized more than $200,000 in unreported currency from travelers flying from the airport to Africa and Asia in September and October, according to the television station.

EL PASO, Texas — Customs agents seized 195 pounds of marijuana inside a rail car near a border crossing in El Paso, Texas, authorities said. The CBP canine alerted officers to an odor coming from one of the hopper cars, KFOX-TV reported. In addition, agents discovered two bags of cocaine totaling 5 pounds, customs officials said. “All rail shipments entering the U.S. from Mexico are subject to several layers of enforcement,” Ray Provencio, director of the El Paso port of entry, said in a statement. “Each car is scanned by an x-ray system while CBP officers and CBP canine teams at the rail crossing inspect the train as it arrives.”Agents seized the marijuana and cocaine.

NEW YORK — (AP) — Customs officers at New York's Kennedy International Airport seized $450,000 worth of cocaine from a traveler who was smuggling the drugs in the wheels of her wheelchair, federal authorities announced. The bust happened Nov. 10 when Customs and Border Patrol officers stopped a woman traveling from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic with a wheelchair whose wheels weren't turning, agency officials said. The officers X-rayed the wheelchair and noticed an “anomaly” in all four wheels, CPB officials said in a news release. Officers checked the tires and found a white powder that tested positive for cocaine, they said. A total of 28 pounds (12.7 kilos) of cocaine with a street value of $450,000 was removed from the wheels, officials said.

Agents working at the Paso Del Norte border crossing on July 25 intercepted 14.77 pounds of cocaine from a 36-year-old Mexican woman, the CBP said. The next day, Paso Del Norte agents seized 16.97 pounds of methamphetamine carried across the border by a 32-year-old man, the release stated. On July 27, CBP officers working at the Ysleta border crossing intercepted 0.24 pounds of fentanyl from a 21-year-old female U.S. citizen, the agency said. Agents working at the Bridge of the Americas on July 28 seized 1.06 pounds of methamphetamine from a female U.S. citizen after a pat-down search. Later, CBP officers at the Ysleta border crossing seized 9.83 pounds of fentanyl and 12.87 pounds of cocaine from a 19-year-old man.

Seized: Customs agents seized 28 duffel bags that contained more than 1,500 pounds of methamphetamine. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Customs agents in Washington state seized nearly 1,500 pounds of methamphetamine Wednesday, authorities said. Customs agents found 28 duffel bags containing cellophane-wrapped packages while inspecting a boat that was heading away from the U.S. and was about a half-mile from the Canadian border, KIRO-TV reported. According to a release, CBP agents found 28 duffel bags containing cellophane-wrapped packages while inspecting a vessel which was going outbound from U.S. waters. “This latest incident is a testament to the dedication of Air and Marine Operations personnel to keeping communities on both sides of the border safe.”©2022 Cox Media Group

Rare pest: Customs officials found a rare insect at the Pharr International Bridge in Texas last week. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection )PHARR, Texas — Customs agriculture specialists discovered a rare pest in a shipment of fresh fruit at the Texas-Mexico border, officials announced Monday. The pest, identified as Cochabamba sp., was found among boxes of mangosteen, CBP officials said in the release. It was the first time the insect had been found in the U.S., according to U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologists. Customs officials said the insect’s travel pattern indicates it is migrating north, the television station reported.

Many saying it’s been more than two weeks since their appointment date at the office, but the backlog has them still waiting. People simply trying to stay in the U.S. and obtain employment.

Cocaine cookbook: More than 147 grams of cocaine were hidden inside a cookbook found at a consignment hub by customs officers in Memphis last month. (U.S. Customs Border Protection)MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Customs agents in Tennessee seized more than 100 grams of cocaine hidden in a cookbook last month, authorities said. The package contained a hardcover book titled “The Multi-Cultural Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago & the Caribbean,” the release stated. A hole was cut to allow a rectangular packet of cocaine weighing 147.6 grams to fit into the book, the CBP news release stated. The shipment had been sent from Trinidad and Tobago to an address in the Little Caribbean neighborhood of New York City, according to the release.

Reptile recovery: Customs agents found the live snakes and lizards hidden inside a man's clothing at the U.S.-Mexico border. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)SAN DIEGO — A man tried -- and failed -- to slither past customs officials last month, as California officers found 52 lizards hidden in his clothing. The man was driving a 2018 GMC truck and was pulled over for additional inspection, customs officials said in the Tuesday release. During their search, offices found 52 bags that contained live reptiles -- 43 horned lizards and nine snakes -- that were concealed in the man’s jacket, pants pockets and groin area, the news release stated. The reptiles, some of which were identified as endangered species, were placed in a secure and safe area and will remain in quarantine, customs officials said.

Government review board recommends Guantanamo detainee's repatriation to Saudi Arabia for an extremist rehabilitation program

1,207 counterfeit driver's licenses seized Customs and Border Patrol agents found the fake licenses in three boxes heading to Chicago and New York. (U.S. Customs and Border Patrol)INDIANAPOLIS — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Indianapolis found more than 1,000 counterfeit driver’s licenses that had been shipped to the U.S. from Hong Kong. >> Read more trending newsThere were three shipments from Hong Kong with contents described as “Game Card” with a value of $20, and inside the shipments, investigators found 1,207 fake licenses. In some cases, the licenses would share a picture but have different names. Investigators warn the licenses can be used for much more than teenagers trying to get into bars.

Seized: U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized more than 26,000 pairs of undeclared or misbranded contact lenses. ( U.S. Customs and Border Protection)CINCINNATI — Customs agents in Cincinnati and other law enforcement officials seized more than 26,000 pairs of undeclared or mis-declared contact lenses in late October, authorities said. >> Read more trending newsIn a news release Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said special agents, with help from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s office of criminal investigation and FDA consumer safety, found 26,477 pairs of the contact lenses. The misbranded lenses, which violate FDA laws, originated primarily from Hong Kong and Japan and were addressed to venues across the U.S., the news release stated. “Counterfeit products, such as these contact lenses, can contain toxic substances that can impact the public’s eyesight,” LaFonda Sutton-Burke, director for the CBP’s field office in Chicago, said in a statement.

Fake cash U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized several parcels of counterfeit money that entered the country from Russia. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)PHILADELPHIA — Customs agents in Philadelphia seized more than $6.5 million in counterfeit U.S. currency that arrived from Russia. >> Read more trending newsAccording to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the officers seized the money after it arrived in international air cargo. Customs officers discovered a combined $6,511,294 in counterfeit U.S. currency that arrived in five parcels during September, the news release stated. Philadelphia @CBP officers seized over $6.5 million in funny money from Russia and destined to an address near Chicago.

Pills seized: Customs agents seized more than $460,000 worth of Viagra and Cialis pills this week. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)LOUISVILLE, Ky. — U.S. customs agents seized a shipment that contained unapproved quantities of Viagra and Cialis pills on Tuesday, authorities said. >> Read more trending newsIn a news release Thursday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Louisville, Kentucky, discovered a shipment arriving from Hong Kong and headed to an address in Montreal. Customs agents found 4,780 unapproved Viagra pills and 2,000 unapproved Cialis pills, the release stated. If genuine and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the pills had an estimated value of more than $460,000.

Police spotted the boat off the tiny British territory on Spain’s southern tip and believed it to be suspicious, a Gibraltar government statement said. A Marine Police vessel attempted to intercept the rigid-hulled inflatable boat, which sped away and began dumping overboard bales of what turned out to be cannabis resin. A Customs vessel took over the pursuit as the boat's occupants continued to dump bales of the resin. In its attempt to evade arrest, the boat rammed the Customs vessel causing significant damage, the statement said. In all, 65 bales of cannabis resin were seized.

Customs officials in Thailand made their biggest seizure of heroin this year, about 315 kilograms (700 pounds) worth up to 944 million baht ($29 million), bringing the total confiscated so far this year to 2 tons, officials said Thursday. Customs Department Director-General Patchara Anuntasilpa said 134 shrink-wrapped packets of heroin, each weighing about 2.4 kilograms (5.3 pounds), had been concealed in a shipment of acrylic paint headed for Australia. The arrest of a suspect led to the identification of the person who hired him, who fled to Laos, said Wichai Chaimongkol, secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board.

Meth found U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents found more than 2,400 pounds of methamphetamine during a search on Saturday. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection )SAN DIEGO — Customs agents seized nearly 2,500 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a shipment of medical supplies, authorities said Tuesday. The shipment, loaded onto a tractor-trailer, was listed as various medical supplies on the cargo’s manifest when it entered the facility at about 9:45 a.m. PDT. Officers unloaded the shipment and found 120 packages containing methamphetamine intermingled with the medical supplies, the CBP release said. “But CBP officers know that we must remain vigilant; transnational criminal organizations will attempt any avenue they can think of to try and smuggle their illicit drugs into the U.S.”

Customs authorities in Ohio say a dog helped them intercept a shipment of cereal earlier this month with a special frosting — cocaine. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Cincinnati reported finding 44 pounds of cocaine-coated cornflakes that had been shipped from South America to a Hong Kong home. Officials said a narcotics detection dog named Bico was checking out incoming freight from Peru on Feb. 13 when he alerted officers to the package. That's not Frosted Flakes—CBP K9 “Bico” sniffed out 44lbs of cocaine in a shipment of cereal originating from South America. https://t.co/IUHgcVtxz5 pic.twitter.com/iEzcqx7OuG — CBP (@CBP) February 20, 2021Officers found that the cereal contained white powder and the flakes were coated with a grayish substance.

The man had declared he had some merchandise when he arrived at Customs — sometimes, travelers must pay duties on what they bring across international borders — so he was sent to a secondary inspection, Bansbach said. There, officers checked his bags and found the boxes of pills.

WSAV(CNN) - Customs agents seized $31 million worth of cocaine last week in Savannah, Georgia -- the largest cocaine seizure ever at the Port of Savannah. Officers found the cocaine, weighing 2,133 pounds, on a vessel from South America on October 29, US Customs and Border Protection announced Tuesday. When officers opened the container, they found 21 duffel bags containing a whopping 818 bricks of cocaine, the agency said. "I truly believe that we have disrupted these transnational organizations," said Christopher Kennally, Area Port Director Savannah, during a news conference Tuesday. Previously, the biggest cocaine seizure at the Port of Savannah took place in May, when officers seized 1,280 pounds of the drug.

Brownsville, Texas Many migrants come to America illegally because entering as a legal asylum-seeker is getting more difficult. In Matamoros, Mexico, just across the bridge from Brownsville, Texas, the wait to request asylum seems endless. In Mexico, some migrant families have been waiting for weeks to apply for asylum. CBS NewsU.S. volunteers from a group called Team Brownsville, cross from Brownsville, Texas to feed families. There are more than 19,000 people waiting in Mexico to request asylum.

The turtles were worth more than $86,000

A $15M Picasso masterpiece called "The Hairdresser" has been recovered by custom agents in New Jersey. CBS News' Weija Jiang has the latest on recovery.