CBP identifies stowaways from Thailand
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists in Cincinnati were inspecting large bags of dried chili peppers imported from Thailand in April (the news was only made public last week), when they noticed something strange.The specialists took a closer look, and found multiple prohibited wildlife products, including numerous dried frogs and insects, and the remains of an endangered primate. The shipment was addressed to someone in Buffalo NY. In a separate shipment from Thailand, specialists found more than 10 kg of turtle bones.Cincinnati supervisory agriculture specialist Barbara Hassan said that "we’re trained to identify products of concern for more than 40 regulatory agencies, and excel at pinpointing shipments that are worthy of a closer look." (ah)