08.28.08
Customs officers seize 293 ostrich skins at bridge

Posted: Aug 28, 2008 12:39 PM PDT



Ostrich skins seized at the Bridge of the Americas Wednesday (Photos courtesy of Customs and Border Protection)

EL PASO, Texas -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized a shipment of 293 ostrich skins at the Bridge of the Americas on Wednesday, CBP officials announced.

Officials said about 1 p.m. Wednesday officers came in contact with a Ford F-250 truck driven by a 55-year-old Juarez man. The driver declared that he was exporting only mannequins, but CBP officers noticed other merchandise in the back of the truck.

The vehicle was referred for further inspection, and CBP officers discovered 293 full bird ostrich skins and 18 handbags in the bed of the truck, officials said. The handbags were labeled Gucci, Chanel and Prada.

The driver was interviewed by CBP officers and released. The skins were seized and turned over to the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the handbags were detained as possible counterfeits, CBP officials said.







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