U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and agriculture specialists found an unwanted pest inside the passenger cabin of an aircraft arriving from Senegal to the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service formally identified the insect by its scientific name Ammocleonus sp., a type of true weevil or snout beetle. This incident is a first-time national interception of this species.
“Our officers and agriculture specialists help protect American agriculture and contribute to the nation’s economic security by denying entry to invasive species not known to exist in the U.S,” stated Gregory Alvarez, Director of CBP Field Operations in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. “What appears to be a harmless insect can cause significant harm to our economic vitality.”
