It’s always something at O’Hare’s customs checkpoint. On April 11, it was two things: a dead monkey in a suitcase and 125 pounds of African beef hidden inside dried seafood.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists intercepted both prohibited shipments the same day, in back-to-back secondary inspections involving two international arrivals, the agency said Wednesday.
The first discovery was made after an X-ray of luggage carried by a traveler from Cameroon revealed an “anomaly,” officials said. Agents executing a hand search of the luggage found a monkey carcass, which was immediately seized and destroyed “due to significant human health concerns,” according to the agency.
The second case involved a traveler from Liberia who CBP said tried to conceal prohibited meat inside dried seafood. Agents inspected eight boxes of the usually admissible seafood in the traveler’s baggage and found meat, bones, and hair mixed in among the fish. The traveler acknowledged the hidden material was beef, according to CBP.
Ruminant meat from certain regions is banned in the United States because of diseases, including Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease, and Foot and Mouth Disease, the agency said. Agents ultimately seized 125 pounds of the prohibited beef, along with one pound of fresh leaves and four types of seeds intended for planting.
No charges were immediately announced in connection with either incident. CBP did not identify the travelers by name.
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