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Courtesy U.S. Customs and Border Protection,

Washington – U.S. Customs and Border Protection has compiled its list of top 10 seizures of 2011. This list illustrates the important role CBP’s officers and agents play in protecting the nation against unsafe and unfair products as well as intercepting smuggling attempts along the nation’s borders and ports of entry. These seizures represent the largest and most unique items seized across the country in 2011. Click on the below stories for information about these top 10 seizures and more.

• CBP officers conducting southbound operations in El Paso , Texas , stopped a Mexican national from leaving the country with $420,440 in undeclared cash hidden within the seats of his vehicle. ( CBP Seizes in Excess of $400,000 in Undeclared Currency )
• Outbound inspections led to the seizure of rifles, shotgun, pistol, assorted magazines and rounds of ammunition from a vehicle driven by a Ft. Worth, Texas , woman. ( Largest Weapons Seizure to Date by CBP Officers at Del Rio Port )
• Border Patrol agents from the Rio Grande Valley Sector, with the help of CBP’s Office of Air and Marine, seized $8.5 million in drugs within 48 hours. ( CBP U.S. Border Patrol Agents Seize $8.5 Million in Drugs within 48 Hours )
• Counterfeit computer networking equipment labeled with Cisco Systems’ trademark was seized in the Washington , D.C. area by CBP personnel using detective work and financial analysis. ( CBP Shuts Down Electronics Counterfeiting Conspiracy )
• Over one weekend, U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Rio Grande Valley Sector seized nearly 2.5 tons of marijuana and 80 ammunition magazines, several which were fully loaded. ( Agents in Texas Seize Ammunition, Nearly 2.5 Tons of Marijuana )
• CBP officers at an air cargo consignment facility at Los Angeles International Airport seized 1.5 tons of methamphetamine chemicals arriving from China with a destination in Illinois . ( 1.5 Tons of Meth Precursors Seized by CBP Officers at LAX )
• CBP agricultural specialists at Los Angeles International Airport halted attempts by two Japanese nationals to smuggle 55 exotic reptiles concealed in cookie boxes. ( 55 Live Turtles Found in Passenger’s Luggage at LAX )
• CBP officers and import specialists assigned to the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport discovered and seized 30,300 pairs of counterfeit sunglasses in the violation of the Lacoste trademark in a shipment arriving from China. ( CBP Seizes $4.5 Million in Fake ‘Lacoste’ Sunglasses )
• CBP officers at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport seized children’s pajamas that were in violation of the Paul Frank trademark in a shipment arriving from Indonesia . ( Nearly 15,000 Kid’s Pajamas Seized at LA/Long Beach Seaport )
• A CBP maritime patrol vessel intercepted a boat with 10 bales of cocaine, totaling 661 pounds, about 50 miles north of the coast of Aguadilla , P.R. The drugs’ value was estimated at $6.3 million. ( CBP Intercepts Vessel with 300 Kilos of Cocaine )

In fiscal year 2011, CBP seized nearly five million pounds of narcotics and more than $126 million in undeclared currency. CBP processed nearly $2.3 trillion in trade and more than 340 million travelers and 24.3 million containers through our nation’s ports of entry. CBP officers conducted more than 24,800 seizures of violations of intellectual property rights.