Woman Tries To Cross Texas Border With 60 Wheels Of 'Contraband Cheese'

A woman trying to cross the border from Mexico into the U.S. at El Paso was stopped by Border Patrol agents after realizing what she was attempting to transport into the country.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a press release last week a female U.S. citizen from New Mexico had over 100 pounds of undeclared cheese in her car. At first, she declared 10 wheels of cheese to officials, but it was later found there were an additional 50 wheels hidden under blankets in the back of her car. The woman was ordered to pay a $1,000 civil penalty and she was released, officials said. The "contraband cheese" was seized and destroyed.

"Travelers can import cheese commensurate with personal consumption levels. A few wheels would generally be fine but not 60. It was undeclared and that amount would be a commercial quantity and additional reporting requirements would apply," said CPB El Paso Port Director Ray Provencio.

Here's a look at the CPB guidelines for cheese and other dairy products:

"Milk, cream, ice cream, butter and many cheeses are subject to quota restrictions administered by both CBP and the Department of Agriculture. All dairy products are subject to Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) requirements. They are also subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements.

"Milk and cream may not be imported without a permit from the FDA. The wrappers or cartons for these products must be printed with the country of origin. Finally, all commercial imports of food and beverage products require the Filing of Prior Notice with FDA, and foreign manufacturers and/or distributers of food products must register with the FDA before their goods may be admitted."