Dried Eggs and Yams at Dulles

Foods cost trusted traveler big bucks... and trust

What does it take for someone to betray your trust? For customs agents at Dulles, all it took was dried eggs and sweet potatoes.

A “trusted traveler” was busted with the eggs and potatoes after reporting that he or she wasn’t bringing any agriculture products into the U.S. from Japan. That’s a big no-no.

The traveler was fined $300 and is no longer "trusted," a designation given to passengers who are part of Global Entry. That’s a program that allows pre-approved U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents to fly through Customs and Border Protection arrivals processing faster.

“It’s called a trusted traveler program because we place a significant amount of trust in members to comply with all customs, agriculture and immigration laws,” Christopher Hess, CBP Port Director for the Port of Washington, said. “Global Entry was never intended to be a freeway for smuggling prohibited products.”

Those sweet potatoes may not be tasting so sweet anymore!

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