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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
Egg Thefts Crack On As Police Scramble For Clues Egg Thefts Crack On As Police Scramble For Clues
Egg Thefts Crack On As Police Scramble For Clues Thieves in Seattle made off with more than 500 eggs earlier this month, just days before a massive heist in Pennsylvania, where 100,000 organic eggs were stolen from a distribution site, authorities said. In Seattle, two suspects were caught on camera stealing 540 eggs and other breakfast supplies from a restaurant’s refrigerated storage shed on Feb. 5. Just four days earlier, thieves targeted a much larger haul in Franklin County, PA, stealing $40,000 worth of organic eggs from Pete and Gerry's Organics, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The Pennsylvania theft occur…

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by Jillian Pikora
Business
Rise In Food Prices Goes Beyond Eggs: Here’s Rundown Rise In Food Prices Goes Beyond Eggs: Here’s Rundown
Rise In Food Prices Goes Beyond Eggs: Here’s Rundown Eggs are not the only food product seeing a sharp increase in prices. December grocery prices were nearly 28 percent higher than five years ago, reflecting how much harder families are finding it to manage their everyday expenses, The Wall Street Journal reports.  According to Labor Department data, grocery prices surged 1.8 percent year-over-year in December, marking the fastest increase in over a year, The trend started just after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2019, mainly due to pandemic-related supply chain issues. According to a Trace One analysis of US Bureau of Labo…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Bird Flu Has Landed In NJ Bird Flu Has Landed In NJ
Bird Flu Has Landed In NJ There's a bird flu outbreak in the United States, but so far only wild ducks have been infected in New Jersey, specifically in Cape May, authorities said. While the outbreak is driving up the price of eggs and chicken nationwide, properly cooked foul is harmless to humans even when it's infected by the flu, agriculture experts say.  The current bird flu outbreak, first reported in a commercial turkey flock in Indiana, is considered the worst since 2015. In New Jersey, 21 Mallard ducks in Cape May have tested positive for the flu so far, according to USDA findings from February. A…

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by Jon Craig
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Black Market Birds: Why Was NJ-Bound Airport Traveler Smuggling Finches In Hair Rollers? Black Market Birds: Why Was NJ-Bound Airport Traveler Smuggling Finches In Hair Rollers?
Black Market Birds: Why Was Nj-bound Airport Traveler Smuggling Finches In Hair Rollers? You might ask yourself why a Guyanese traveler headed to New Jersey was found trying to smuggle in a flock of finches tucked into hair rollers through JFK Airport. The answer: Singing competitions. U.S. Customs and Border Protections reported seizing 29 of the petite black-market songbirds this past weekend. It's happened before -- and not just at New York/New Jersey area airports. Last year, hundreds were discovered at no fewer than 16 airports nationwide, although COVID-19 likely curbed the number, CBP said. The 2019 total was 2,117. Nearly all come from Guyana, where birdson…

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by Jerry DeMarco