A family traveling to the U.S. from Afghanistan had more than 440 pounds of seed cotton seized at Virginia’s Dulles International Airport this week after customs agents deemed it a threat to domestic agriculture, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday.
CBP officers referred the family to a secondary inspection after they arrived at Dulles on Monday, agency spokesperson Stephen Sapp said in a statement. The travelers said they bought the cotton in Afghanistan and packed it into three duffel bags, intending to use it for bedding after arriving in the U.S.
CBP agriculture specialists determined the cotton could not enter the country after finding it still contained seeds. Importing it would require a U.S. Department of Agriculture permit, a phytosanitary certificate and treatments such as fumigation.
Raw cotton can carry pests, diseases and invasive weeds. CBP said it may also harbor harmful insects, including the cotton seed bug and pink bollworm, that threaten U.S. agriculture and the textile industry.
The cotton, which weighed more than 440 pounds, was seized and the family was allowed to continue their journey.
“It’s important for travelers to know that something that they consider traditional and innocuous may be inadmissible because it could pose a serious threat to our nation鈥檚 agriculture and textile industries,” Christine Waugh, CBP’s area port director for D.C.,
She said educating travelers about those risks is an important part of protecting the nation’s agricultural resources.
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