U. S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped more than 100 pounds of soft Mexican cheese from making a run across the order.
The federal agency announced Friday that officials seized 107 pounds of “queso fresco,” which is soft Mexican cheese. The illegal cheese was hidden in false compartments of a vehicle trying to enter the U.S. across the Bridge of the Americas on Wednesday (March 3).
Federal officials permit travelers to import personal quantities of cheese – about 11 pounds per person.
Officials say the cheese can be dangerous because it is often unpasteurized and can cause food-borne illnesses such as listeria, salmonella and tuberculosis.
Officials say the cheese smugglers had their visas canceled, and the cheese they tried to sneak in was destroyed.
