NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Customs officers seized more than 1,000 pounds of illegal duck tongues, duck intestines and blood clams at JFK Airport on Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
CBP agriculture specialists examining a shipment from China on Tuesday found around 600 pounds of fresh duck tongues, 330 pounds of frozen duck intestines and 260 pounds of live blood clams inside, the agency said in a press release.
“CBP Agriculture Specialists are the first line of defense to prevent the introduction of animal diseases that have the potential to cause significant damage to the nation’s agricultural economy,” Troy Miller, the director of field operations for CBP’s New York Field Office, said in a statement.
The duck parts had the potential to introduce diseases including Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza to the United States, CBP said in the release.
Blood clams, meanwhile, “can pass along diseases such as typhoid and hepatitis to those handling or consuming them,” the release added.