Driver tries smuggling 132 pounds of cheese wheels under blanket into Texas, feds say
A driver was busted attempting to smuggle cheese into the U.S., authorities in Texas said.
The woman from New Mexico drove up to the border crossing checkpoint in El Paso just before 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release Wednesday.
She declared that she had 10 wheels of cheese which officials located in her trunk, according to the release.
However, hidden in the back seat under blankets, agents found another 50 wheels of cheese, totaling about 132 pounds, authorities said.
They confiscated the undeclared cheese wheels and fined the woman $1,000, the release said.
“Travelers can import cheese commensurate with personal consumption levels,” El Paso Port Director Ray Provencio said. “A few wheels would generally be fine but not 60. It was undeclared and that amount would be a commercial quantity and additional reporting requirements would apply.”
Milk, ice cream, butter and cheese are subject to import quota restrictions from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Agriculture, according to the release.
El Paso is about 615 miles southwest of Dallas.
