An American tourist who packed his suitcase full of chorizo, fuet and other Spanish cold meats has been fined €500 at Seattle Airport upon returning from Spain.
A US citizen has been fined for failing to declare nearly nine kilos of cured Spanish meats when returning to his home country.
The man, a member of the Global Entry programme, a US customs scheme which allows pre-approved, low-security-risk travellers to benefit from an expedited process when entering the United States, reportedly entered via Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where he was subjected to an inspection upon arrival.
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Officers then found 8.44kg of cured meats, called embutidos in Spanish, and almost a half kilo (0.40 kg) of venison sausage, which he had failed to declare.
Spanish media reports suggest that the charcuterie haul was from Spanish chain supermarket Mercadona.
Among the items he was carrying were chorizo, fuet, pork loin, venison sausages and even compango, a mix of pork-based meats used to flavour stews like fabada asturiana.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stated post that this was the second offence committed by the man, resulting in the revocation of his Global Entry membership.
The concealed products were seized and he was fined $500 (around €430).
This is due to specific customs rules in the US on the importation of cured meats.
According to guidance from the USDA website: “Cured hams (prosciutto, Serrano ham, Iberian ham) and salami from areas within France, Germany, Italy and Spain may not be brought into the United States by travellers.”
“These items may only enter in commercial shipments because there are special restrictions that require additional certification and documentation.”
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