U.S. Customs Seizes Items from Arriving Passengers Without Proper Permits

On Saturday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confiscated pieces of coral and queen conch shells from travelers arriving at Jacksonville Airport from Cuba. These items, considered protected under international law, were handed over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

The Florida division of CBP's Office of Field Operations shared images of the confiscated items on X, accompanied by a clear statement: "We love sea shells, but importing or exporting wildlife without a permit is illegal. All these items taken from passengers arriving in Jacksonville from Cuba are protected under international law."

The seized objects included coral fragments and multiple queen conch shells, scientifically known as Aliger gigas—previously classified as Strombus gigas. CBP did not disclose the exact quantity, size, or specific species of the coral involved in the seizure.

Understanding International Wildlife Trade Laws

Both coral and queen conch are listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which mandates export permits from the country of origin to certify that the collection was legal and non-detrimental to the species. Without these permits, importing them into the United States is a federal offense.

Specifically, the queen conch is considered critically endangered in the Caribbean. Due to the collapse of their populations, Cuba, along with Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Florida, has halted its fishing, making it nearly impossible to obtain legal export permits from the island. Additionally, coral is safeguarded under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).

CBP Regulations and Recent Seizures

According to CBP's official guidelines for travelers, CITES species import and export permits must be obtained from the USFWS Management Authority. The agency advises checking with the arrival port before transporting any items covered by the treaty.

No arrests were made in connection to this recent seizure. CBP's actions were limited to confiscating the items and transferring them to the USFWS for final disposition.

This incident adds to a series of similar seizures in recent years. In May, CBP fined a traveler $300 for smuggling plant cuttings into Fort Myers Airport from Cuba. Earlier, in January, a couple was detained at Holguín Airport for attempting to remove 121 kilograms of protected marine species meat from Cuba, including hawksbill turtle, crab, and lobster.

Back in December 2021, CBP in New Orleans seized 509 prohibited aquatic items from a couple returning from a Western Caribbean cruise. The haul included 68 stony corals, 297 mollusk shells, five queen conch shells, nine sea fans, and 47 marine sponges, along with sea urchins, mussels, crab remnants, and other pieces.

The United States has been identified as the world's largest importer of queen conch meat, a demand that intensifies pressure on populations already strained by decades of overfishing and unregulated trade.