Authorities at O’Hare International Airport in the U.S. state of Chicago intercepted a man travelling from the Democratic Republic of Congo carrying 6.8 kilograms of raw goat viscera.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said this included the trachea, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and entire digestive system.
In the October 10 incident, two passengers arriving from the DRC were referred for inspection where customs officials found about 400 grams pounds of unknown meat, a kilogram of garden eggs, and raw goat viscera.
“There are real dangers these items can have if they are introduced in the U.S. economy,” LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of field operations at the agency’s Chicago field office, said in a press release.
“All passengers, whether entering or returning to the U.S., must be truthful and declare all items they are bringing. If one prohibited item enters the U.S. it could have dangerous ecological or economic results.”
U.S. laws prohibit travellers from introducing plant materials, animal materials and other agricultural items like fruits, vegetables and plants into the country to keep livestock diseases and plant pests out of the United States.
Travellers who wish to import such items are required to declare all items acquired abroad to customs officers, failure to which they risk civil or criminal penalties.
Just over two weeks ago, customs officials at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in Minnesota seized a small box containing giraffe faecal material from a woman travelling from Kenya.
The passenger arrived on September 29, according to a news release from CBP.
“The passenger declared giraffe faeces and stated she had obtained the droppings in Kenya and planned to make a necklace,” the statement said.
The traveller said she had previously used moose faeces to make similar jewellery at her home in Iowa, customs officials said.
