It’s been a while since we have posted on the team at U.S. Customs and their recent discoveries. Much like our hard working officers on the Australia Border Force (ABF) the team at U.S. Customs and Border Protection serve the public every day, ensuring that their borders are safe and taken care of.
Collated below are some of the more interesting recent finds:
1. Red Hot Ferrari
At Los Angeles / Long Beach seaport officers intercepted this gorgeous red 1981 Ferrari 308 GTSi Ferrari that was due to be exported to Poland. Mis-declared as a 1982 Ferrari, officers discovered a discrepancy with the VIN number which raised red flags. Turns out that this exact vehicle was reported as stolen 28 years ago! Such diligent work from officers stopped this car from finding other home over the seas.
2. Otala – A snail
We’re moving over to import air freight for this slimy discovery made by officers at the Washington Dulles International Airport. Officers discovered this Otala – a type of snail – in an airfreight consignment that arrived from the Netherlands. These snails hitched a ride in a 300 stem shipment of fresh flowers. Faced with the decision to either re-export or destroy the shipment, the importer opted for the latter, with the flowers and accompanying pests to be destroyed via steam sterilisation. Snails may pose a significant threat to agriculture because they cause damage by feeding on agricultural and horticultural crops as well as native plants, thereby lowering crop yields and quality.
3. Hoverboards
Self balancing scooters – often referred to as hoverboards – have been discovered and seized at the port of Houston. 3500 hoverboards were seized from a sea freight shipment as they contained counterfeit batteries that also were marked with counterfeit trademark logos. The shipment was worth USD1.8 million places but consumers at risk as substandard lithium ion batteries have been linked to fake batteries. Counterfeit goods also threaten America’s economic security.
Stay tuned for more interesting seizures from the U.S. Border Protection Services..
Source and image credits: cbp.gov
