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US Customs and Border Protection

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Egg Smuggling Soars As US Prices Spike, Fentanyl Seizures Drop: CBP Egg Smuggling Soars As US Prices Spike, Fentanyl Seizures Drop: CBP
Egg Smuggling Soars As US Prices Spike, Fentanyl Seizures Drop: CBP U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is cracking down on a surprising contraband at the border—eggs. Egg-related seizures have surged 116% in the first two months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, with officials reporting 3,254 interceptions, according to CBP data. The spike comes as U.S. egg prices continue to soar, driven by a historic avian flu outbreak decimating poultry farms nationwide. Meanwhile, fentanyl seizures have fallen 32% year-over-year. While President Donald Trump has vowed to curb fentanyl trafficking, the more immediate smuggling crisis appears to be brea…

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by Jillian Pikora
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US Cracking Down On Egg Smuggling From Mexico As Prices Soar US Cracking Down On Egg Smuggling From Mexico As Prices Soar
US Cracking Down On Egg Smuggling From Mexico As Prices Soar With egg prices at record highs, authorities are seeing a sharp increase in smuggling operations attempting to bring eggs across the US-Mexico border. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reported a surge in egg seizures, as rising costs drive some travelers to attempt sneaking in eggs despite strict import bans. The San Diego Field Office said Thursday, Feb. 27, that egg interceptions have increased 158 percent since the start of the 2024 fiscal year. The main culprit behind soaring egg prices? A devastating avian flu outbreak that has affected 166 million birds in the US since …

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Ex-Mass Officer Busted in $3M Fake Luxury Watch Conspiracy Gets 60 Days In Jail: Feds Ex-Mass Officer Busted in $3M Fake Luxury Watch Conspiracy Gets 60 Days In Jail: Feds
Ex-Mass Officer Busted in $3M Fake Luxury Watch Conspiracy Gets 60 Days In Jail: Feds If you bought a luxury watch from a Massachusetts police officer for a steal, you may have been duped. That’s what former cop Klevis Nako, 24, admitted to in a Connecticut federal court this week, according to federal authorities. Nako was convicted of conspiracy to sell counterfeit goods after he imported fake designer watches from China and sold them across the U.S. through Instagram and Facebook, the U.S. Attorney for Connecticut said. He has been sentenced to 60 days in federal prison, authorities said. His operation unraveled after federal agents intercepted dozens of shipments and con…

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by Josh Lanier
News
FBI Thwarts Iran-Linked Plan To Assassinate Donald Trump, DOJ Says FBI Thwarts Iran-Linked Plan To Assassinate Donald Trump, DOJ Says
FBI Thwarts Iran-Linked Plan To Assassinate Donald Trump, DOJ Says An Iranian operative and two associates living in America have been charged in a murder-for-hire plot targeting United States citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump. Federal authorities have charged Farhad Shakeri, an alleged operative of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with two New York City associates in a plot to assassinate a US citizen critical of the Iranian government.  The case highlights the continued threat posed by Iran’s attempts to silence dissidents and even target top US. officials. According to the Department of Justice criminal complai…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Thief Who Stole $1.5M Worth Of Luxury Cars In NJ, Rockland, Long Island, CT Gets 3½ Years Thief Who Stole $1.5M Worth Of Luxury Cars In NJ, Rockland, Long Island, CT Gets 3½ Years
Thief Who Stole $1.5M Worth Of Luxury Cars In NJ, Rockland, Long Island, CT Gets 3½ Years 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: The last of four men who admitted stealing more than $1.5 million worth of luxury cars in New Jersey, Rockland County, Long Island and Connecticut was sentenced to nearly 3½ years in federal prison. Malik Baker, 30, of Vauxhall, and his three co-conspirators stashed at least 10 of the vehicles at a central location in Irvington, NJ, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said. The Essex County-based quartet often used one stolen vehicle to swipe another, he added. In one instance, Sellinger said, the crew swiped a Maserati GranTurismo at the Jersey Shore in Manalapan an…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Public Health Alert Issued For Imported Meat, Poultry Products Public Health Alert Issued For Imported Meat, Poultry Products
Public Health Alert Issued For Imported Meat, Poultry Products Officials have announced a public health alert for an undetermined amount of imported meat and poultry products. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said in an announcement on Wednesday, Dec. 29, that a recall hasn't been issued because officials have not been able to identify and contact the importers from China. Find the full list of products included in the health alert here. According to the announcement, the products didn't identify an eligible establishment number on their packaging, and they weren't presented to the Food Safety and I…

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by Nicole Valinote
News
CT Teen Charged With Kidnapping Minor CT Teen Charged With Kidnapping Minor
CT Teen Charged With Kidnapping Minor A Connecticut teen has been charged with kidnapping a minor and sexually assaulting her before locking her in the trunk of a car. Litchfield County resident Christopher Jesus Constanzo, age 19, of Torrington, was arrested on Tuesday, Dec. 7, said Leonard C Boyle, Acting US Attorney of the District of Connecticut. As alleged in court documents, on Thursday, Dec. 2, Constanzo and a minor female arrived by car at the US Port of Entry at Highgate Springs in Vermont.  Just prior to their arrival, officials at the St-Armand/Philipsburg Border Crossing in Canada had refused Constanzo and the…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Kidnapper Holding CT Girl In Trunk Stopped At Canadian Border, Police Say Kidnapper Holding CT Girl In Trunk Stopped At Canadian Border, Police Say
Kidnapper Holding CT Girl In Trunk Stopped At Canadian Border, Police Say A teenage man who was stopped at the Canadian border for lack of a COVID-19 test had kidnapped a 16-year-old from Connecticut, sexually assaulted her, and put her in the trunk of his car, according to police. The kidnapping was reported in Connecticut when the suspect, 19-year-old Christopher Jesus Constanzo, abducted and sexually assaulted the female victim on Thursday, Dec. 2, according to Vermont State Police.  Constanzo is then reported to have held the victim in the trunk of his car while he drove from Connecticut toward the US border crossing in Highgate Springs, Vermont. Early …

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Man Nabbed At Canadian Border For Homicide Of Woman Found Dead In Fairfield County Home Man Nabbed At Canadian Border For Homicide Of Woman Found Dead In Fairfield County Home
Man Nabbed At Canadian Border For Homicide Of Woman Found Dead In Fairfield County Home A man wanted in connection with the alleged killing of a Fairfield County woman was nabbed at the Canadian border and is expected to be charged with her death in the coming days. Jennifer Brelsford, 40, was found dead inside her Goddard Avenue home in Bridgeport on Sunday, Oct. 18, by police performing a welfare check.  Her body had obvious signs of trauma, said Bridgeport Police Captain Brian Fitzgerald.  Detectives quickly identified Brelsford's estranged boyfriend, Corey Ramos, 30, as a suspect, and began a search for his whereabouts. "Detectives worked with law enforcement i…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Wilton Teens Charged With Forging 12 Driver's Licenses For People Under 21 Wilton Teens Charged With Forging 12 Driver's Licenses For People Under 21
Wilton Teens Charged With Forging 12 Driver's Licenses For People Under 21 Two Wilton teens were nabbed for allegedly having ordered 12 forged driver's licenses for people under the age of 21 from overseas. Willem Jeffrey Vanpelt, 19, and an unnamed 17-year-old were arrested on a warrant on Monday, Dec. 30, by Wilton Police following an investigation started by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said Wilton Police Lt. Robert Kluk. The two were connected after Customs officers stapped the shipment when it arrived in the country and they found the forged ID's addressed to Vanpelt, Kluk said. Vanpelt was charged with 12 counts of conspiracy and 12 counts of forgery…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Drug Distributor From Fairfield County Sentenced To Six Years In Federal Prison Drug Distributor From Fairfield County Sentenced To Six Years In Federal Prison
Drug Distributor From Fairfield County Sentenced To Six Years In Federal Prison A convicted felon in Connecticut is heading back behind bars after being sentenced for distributing synthetic drugs. Michael Young, 48, of Bridgeport, has been sentenced to six years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after admitting to importing, manufacturing and distributing synthetic cannabinoids. In August last year, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service identified a suspicious package that was shipped from a California business that marketed and sold herbal products for smoking to Young’s Bridgeport residence. A search of the package revealed a leafy plant-like su…

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by Zak Failla
News
Synthetic Drug Distributor In Fairfield County Pleads Guilty Synthetic Drug Distributor In Fairfield County Pleads Guilty
Synthetic Drug Distributor In Fairfield County Pleads Guilty A drug distributor from Fairfield County is facing 20 years in prison for importing and distributing synthetic drugs and PCP in Connecticut. Bridgeport resident Michael Young, 48, has pleaded guilty in Bridgeport district court to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances for his role in a near two-year scheme. In August last year, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service identified a suspicious package destined for Young’s Bridgeport residence, U.S. Attorney John Durham said. The package had been shipped from a California business that marketed and sold herbal produ…

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by Zak Failla
News
O Cannabis: U.S. Won't Ban Canadian Pot Industry Workers After Legalization Of Marijuana O Cannabis: U.S. Won't Ban Canadian Pot Industry Workers After Legalization Of Marijuana
O Cannabis: U.S. Won't Ban Canadian Pot Industry Workers After Legalization Of Marijuana Canadian cannabis growers are no longer banned from entering the country, after U.S. border guards reversed course on an earlier decision, despite marijuana being legalized in several states. Last month, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that, with the legalization of marijuana in our neighbor to the north, some growers may have their admissibility into the country questioned. In a new statement, officials changed their tune, with the caveat that they may still be deemed inadmissible if they are coming into the country for “reasons related to the marijuana industry.” “A Cana…

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by Zak Failla
News
Fairfield County Man Charged With Distributing Counterfeit Drugs Fairfield County Man Charged With Distributing Counterfeit Drugs
Fairfield County Man Charged With Distributing Counterfeit Drugs A Fairfield County man was arrested and charged on a federal criminal complaint related to distributing counterfeit drugs. Kamil Golebiowski, 25, of Shelton, was arrested Tuesday as part of an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users, said John H. Durham, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut. Golebiowski's arrest is in connection with the July 9, 2017, overdose death of a 29-year-old Seymour man. During the investigation into the man's death, investigators seized drug and non-dru…

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by Kathy Reakes