SANTA TERESA, NM. — On Aug. 25, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the port of Santa Teresa seized 4,600 Tramadol pills and 90 lbs of pork bologna from a US citizen crossing into the states from Mexico.

The 34-year-old woman arriving from Mexico by vehicle lanes denied smuggling attempts to the primary CBP officer. Upon a secondary inspection, the officer found 92 medication bottles and 10 rolls of prohibited bologna stashed under the car seats.

The bologna was seized and destroyed in order to restrict foreign animal diseases from potentially entering the US pork industry. The medication was also seized, and the woman received a civil penalty for smuggling attempt.

"It is important that travelers educate themselves on what products are allowed to be legally entered,” said CBP Santa Teresa port director Tony Hall. “And even if they believe an item is allowed, travelers should still declare all items they are transporting from abroad to avoid fines and penalties.”

Forty government agencies, including the US Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, entrust CBP with enforcing laws to keep unsafe items, pests and diseases from entering the United States.