Cayman coral seized in NC

(CNS): Agriculture specialists found 40 pieces of coral species in the luggage of a passenger landing in North Carolina from Grand Cayman on January 17, US Customs and Border Protection announced Wednesday. This was one of three seizures of prohibited coral species at Charlotte Douglas International Airport during the month of January. Two days previously, two passengers arriving from Saint Maarten were found to have a total of 6 pieces of coral species in their baggage, the CBP said.

 In all three cases, the coral, which is protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), were seized and turned over to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which is the primary agency responsible for enforcing CITES in the United States.

CBP says that, as the nation’s border agency, it works closely with the US Fish and Wildlife to ensure CITES is enforced at every port of entry in the United States. The goal of the convention is to ensure that international trade in animals does not threaten their survival. Under CITES, both the exporter and importer need to comply with the convention’s requirements and be certified in the trade of any part of an animal covered by it.

“CBP at the ports of entry in the state of North Carolina have always maintained a very strong working relationship with the US Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Patty Fitzpatrick, area port director in Charlotte. “Through a cooperative effort, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has done an outstanding job of cross training CBP officers in order to enforce CITES trade permits properly. Together, we will continue to work diligently in an effort to ensure that international trade laws are protected.”