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Tuesday, December 10, 2024

CBP Tells Travelers to Leave Their THC Edibles Behind on Vacation or Face Penalty

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is reminding travelers to leave their THC edibles and other marijuana-based products behind on vacation after officers issued a $500 Zero Tolerance penalty to a traveler who recently returned from Jamaica to Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

CBP officers randomly selected a 25-year-old man for a secondary baggage examination after he arrived from Montego Bay on July 28 and discovered three boxes of vape oil (108 grams), three bags of edibles (58 grams) and two bags of a green leafy substance (30 grams). All products field-tested positive for the presence of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). CBP officers seized the THC products, issued the man a $500 Zero Tolerance penalty, and released him.

CBP is not identifying the man because he was not criminally charged.

“Customs and Border Protection reminds travelers that, though they may evade arrest for possessing some products that violate federal law, such as these marijuana-based products, they won’t escape the prospect of paying a hefty civil penalty that they could use instead to buy a return trip to their favorite Caribbean paradise,” said Keith Fleming, Acting Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Baltimore Field Office.

CBP officers at Baltimore Washington have recently caught other travelers boarding or deplaning international flights in possession of illicit products.

In early June, CBP officers revoked a woman’s Global Entry trusted traveler membership after officers discovered marijuana in her baggage after she arrived from the Dominican Republic. And in late June, officers issued a $500 Zero Tolerance penalty to a man heading to Montego Bay after officers found a combined 303 grams of marijuana and THC gummies in his baggage.

Though some states have decriminalized marijuana possession or use, the sale, possession, production, distribution or the facilitation of the aforementioned of both medical and recreational marijuana remains illegal under U.S. federal law. As federal law prohibits the importation and exportation of marijuana, crossing the international border or arriving at a U.S. port of entry with marijuana may result in seizure, fines, and/or arrest, and may impact a foreign national’s admissibility.

CBP seized an average of 3,677 pounds of dangerous drugs every day across the United States last year.

Read more at CBP

Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Todayhttp://www.hstoday.us
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.

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