U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Port Huron, Michigan, seized a human brain being shipped into the U.S. via Canadian Post.
CBP officers assigned to the Area Port of Port Huron referred a Canadian postal courier truck to a secondary inspection after it crossed the Blue Water Bridge for entry into the United States, according to information obtained from CBP officials in Michigan.
On Valentine’s Day, the officers carried out a routine mail inspection and targeted a shipment whose manifest called the package an “Antique Teaching Specimen,” officials stated. The officers opened the package for a physical inspection and discovered a glass jar containing a human brain specimen.
Officials stated the package did not contain any of the required paperwork or documentation for the shipment of human specimens. The officers determined the shipment to be illegal and seized the package.
Officials said the shipment came to the U.S. from Toronto, Canada, and listed an address in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as its final destination.
The statement obtained from CBP officials did not disclose if any further investigation will take place of if charges will be potentially filed in court.
“Individuals looking to import shipments such as this, need to remember that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has a strict Import Permit Program that must be adhered to,” said Area Port Director Michael Fox. “This is just another great example of just one of the many things CBP officers do to protect our nation on a daily basis.”
It is not uncommon for CBP officers to find strange items in shipments or luggage of people attempting to enter the U.S.
Almost exactly three years ago, CBP agriculture specialists at Dulles International Airport seized a shipment containing horse genitals from Mongolian travelers, Breitbart Texas reported. The travelers’ luggage found 42 pounds of horse meat included 13 pounds of horse genitalia, other ruminant meat, and three liters of yak milk.
Another unusual seizure included an elephant skull at the Anzalduas International Bridge in Mission, Texas, in June 2016. The man attempted to enter Mexico with the undocumented shipment of a protected species skull.
In May 2018, Border Patrol agents in South Texas also made an unusual discovery when they found a bag filled with a sleeping tiger cub.
The agents approached the black bag and were likely expecting to find drugs. Instead, the agents found a male tiger cub zipped up inside the bag. It appears the smugglers gave the cub a tranquilizer. Officials told Breitbart Texas they were unable to determine what the possible destination of the tiger cub might have been.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for the Breitbart Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.