A customer caught at the airport with 30 bird’s nest smuggled
Edible bird’s nest , considered a delicacy in some countries, are prohibited from entering the U.S. as they can carry Newcastle Disease or the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) virus. The passenger, who was arriving from Vietnam, did not declare the edible bird’s nest items. During the passenger’s baggage examination, CBP agriculture specialists discovered the bird’s nests concealed inside a box of herbs. “ CBP’s agriculture mission requires that we safeguard America’s agricultural and natural resources,” said Port Director Charles Perez. “Our agriculture specialists recognize the importance of intercepting these types of smuggling attempts to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and harmful pests that have not been introduced into our agriculture. Seizures like this one keep that threat at bay.” Birds’nests soup are created from the solidified saliva of birds and are used to make a soup or broth (bird’s nest soup is 1...