CBP Seizes Over 6,000 Pounds of Smuggled Meat from China in Los Angeles Port
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists in Los Angeles made a significant seizure earlier this week, confiscating over 6,000 pounds of poultry and meat products illegally shipped from China. The shipment, falsely labeled as tilapia, included unmanifested swine, avian, and ruminant products—a major biosecurity risk to U.S. agriculture.
According to Customs and Border Protection, “These products can carry dangerous animal diseases not found in the US.”
The illegal shipment was sent by a repeat offender, raising serious concerns about ongoing efforts to smuggle potentially diseased food products into the country. These actions threaten the integrity of the American food supply and could introduce devastating animal diseases into domestic livestock populations.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins responded to the incident on X, emphasizing the broader implications for national security.
“Farm Security is national security. Smuggling diseased products into the US is an attack on our food supply and homeland. USDA and CBP are on guard to protect American agriculture from this threat. Foreign pests, disease and bad actors have no place here. We will hunt them down and stop them.”
CBP reported that in fiscal year 2024 alone, they intercepted over 400,000 animal products, more than 800,000 plant materials or soil, and over 90,000 miscellaneous items, totaling more than 1.3 million quarantine material interceptions. The agency also examined over 100,000 pest interceptions, identifying more than 40,000 quarantine-significant samples.
These efforts are critical. According to CBP, the annual cost of invasive species to the U.S. economy is estimated at $120 billion, with over 100 million acres of land currently affected.
This latest interception at the Port of Los Angeles highlights the ongoing threat posed by global smuggling networks targeting U.S. agriculture. Federal agencies are urging continued vigilance to prevent the introduction of foreign pests, diseases, and illegal materials that endanger both food security and the environment.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.