Federal agents seize 154 pounds of illegal Mexican bologna at border

Agents confiscated 14 rolls of the illegal product, which weighed 154 pounds, customs officials said in a news release.

The bologna was seized because it "is a prohibited product made from pork and has the potential for introducing foreign animal diseases to the U.S. pork industry," the department said in its release.

The seizure was made at the Bridge of the Americas in El Paso. According to Border Patrol officials, a man driving a Chevrolet pickup truck with a Texas license plate entered from Mexico. When a Border Patrol official spotted the rolls behind the rear seat of the truck, the driver explained bringing frozen rolls of ham into the country, the news release said.

Upon further inspection, Border Patrol agents determined the cargo was the illegal bologna, according to the news release. The meat was seized and destroyed; the driver was released.

"It is important that travelers understand they should declare all items they are transporting from abroad to avoid fines and penalties. A properly declared prohibited item can be abandoned at the port without consequence," Beverly Good, the port director for Customs and Border Protection in El Paso, said in the release.