Desi couple fined $500 for smuggling food from India.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: In what was described as a rare incident, an Indian couple from West Chester, Pennsylvania was fined $500 by the US government for attempting to smuggle around 30 pounds of chickpeas, popcorn, and curry leaves into the country from India.
The episode occurred last Tuesday, January 28. The couple returned from India via a stopover in Dubai. The couple was caught by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at the Washington Dulles International Airport, in northern Virginia. They were processing their individual arrivals at Global Entry self-help kiosks in the arrival terminal, and declared that they were not bringing any food items into the country.
However, the couple had close to 25 pounds of chickpeas and about five pounds of popcorn and curry leaves that they did not declare before going through customs and immigration upon landing.
The goods were divvied up among seven of their eight pieces of luggage. During their initial declaration statement, they said they had no goods that needed to be declared. However, the CBP agent directed them to a second compliance officer, to whom they repeated that they had nothing whatsoever to declare.
When pressed for more information, they admitted to having just some spices and sweets. Their bags were then put through an X-ray scanner, whereupon it was determined that they had illicit goods that could not enter the country. The goods were subsequently seized by the authorities, and likely destroyed.
“Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists take their job of protecting our nation’s agricultural industries very seriously, and are especially vigilant against potentially harmful insect pests or plant diseases,” said Christopher Hess, CBP Port Director for the Port of Washington Dulles, in a statement.
The CBP has to look out for all foreign goods entering the US, so that there is no risk of insects and microscopic bodies coming into the country and potentially wreaking havoc. Chickpeas, in particular, can bring with them the Khapra beetle, which is prevalent throughout South Asia and is considered one of the most destructive pests in that region for crops.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com