US Border Patrol seizes, destroys 748 pounds of Mexican bologna at Texas port of entry

A woman was fined $1,000 after authorities say she attempted to bring roughly 750 pounds of Mexican bologna and more than 280 boxes of undeclared prescription medications into the United States.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Presidio port of entry stopped the woman, a 43-year-old American citizen, early last week.
The driver declared a cooked meal during the initial inspection, but as officers conducted a secondary exam, they removed several suitcase from the vehicle that “seemed heavier than normal,” according to a news release. When agriculture specialists opened the suitcases they found 40 rolls of Mexican bologna, weighing a total of 748 pounds.
The meat product is prohibited from the United States because the pork it contains has the potential to introduce foreign animal diseases, according to the release.
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The specialists also found hundreds of boxes of medication hidden in the panels of the vehicle, including Tramadol, Fentermina, Alprazolam, Clonazapam, Diazapam, Farmapram, Ampigran, Sulfamethoxazole and more.
The driver was issued a $1,000 civil penalty, the bologna was destroyed, and the medication and more than $7,600 in concealed currency was seized, the release said.
“We stress that it is important that travelers educate themselves on what products are allowed to be legally entered from abroad. And even if they believe an item is allowed travelers should still declare all items they are transporting to the U.S. to avoid fines and penalties,” CBP Presidio Port Director Benito Reyes, Jr. said in the release. “The concern with pork products is that they have the potential to introduce foreign animal diseases that can have devastating effects to the U.S. economy and to our agriculture industry.”