Skulls, an illegal shipment of hashish inside a vacuum cleaner, bovine gallstones and horse semenwere some of the most unusual seizures reported Customs so far this year in various control operations at Argentine border crossings.
One of the last cases that became publicly known was at the Iguazú – Foz de Iguazú International Border Crossing, in which a Brazilian citizen detained a Brazilian citizen who was trying to return to his country with some $40,000 undeclared attached to his ankles. His hesitant activity and a particular walk gave him away.
According to Customs, the amount of money that the man tried to transport quadrupled the limit allowed by the baggage regime. Therefore, the staff of the organization that directs William Michel kidnapped the money within the framework of article 979 of the Customs Code and made the proper complaint before the Justice. The citizen could be fined up to $120,000.
A passport from the same country had another man who a few days ago tried, at the San Javier – Porto Xavier International Border Crossing, to enter Argentina with horse semen, merchandise that is not admitted by the baggage regime. Even if it were, they explained in Customs, it is presumed that its value would greatly exceed the franchise of 300 dollars for income by river. The price of a batch of premium equine sperm ranges from $1,000 to $10,000, commented.
Stickers affixed to the box that passenger was carrying bore the logo of a cabin called “First Love”, which would be the producer of the genetic material found, official sources reported. Customs found that it specializes in sheep bragados and tobianos, a species that in Spanish is called “Brazilian Creole horse”, and which has the characteristic of being strong and compact, with a straight or convex head, broad chest and well-developed joints..
The seminal market has a particular development in Argentina. In 2022, exports of equine samples totaled just 8,340 dollars, while imports reached 407,317 dollars. As explained by Customs, imports are higher than exports precisely because they tend to seek to strengthen the genetics of national specimens, which can then be bred in our country under optimal conditions.
Two other unusual Customs discoveries were more macabre. In one month, two postal shipments with skulls destined for the United States were detected. In the latter case, the skull was wrapped in a nylon bag, inside a cardboard box, along with a bill for $295.
The illegality of the case is related to the fact that, since the shipment consisted of human remains, the postal parcel regime does not apply. In the case in which you want to export a bone remains, the operation should, at a minimum, have the endorsement of the National Agrifood Health and Quality Service (Senasa).
A few weeks ago a similar postal shipment had been detected in the controls. It was a skull with a recipient in Brooklyn, New York. Preliminary analysis determined that it had been cut to separate it from the body and that it would have belonged to a boy between 10 and 12 years old with orange hair (or a similar color)..
The alleged recipient of the package, Paul Abrahamian, is the owner of a company called Deadskull LLC, which translated into Spanish literally means “dead skull.” Abrahamian participated in six consecutive seasons of the reality show Big Brother in the United States.
In recent days, there has also been an important shipment of hashish seized at the Ezeiza International Airport after the inspection of a centrifugal vacuum cleaner that came from a package sent to an Argentine citizen from the United States. Inside that artifact, 17.4 kg of the cannabis product was found with a value that ranged from $21,000.
Another unusual shipment is bovine gallstones, considered a very profitable business and whose price has come to exceed that of gold, according to Customs. In the field of natural medicine, some, on the one hand, attribute relaxing and anti-inflammatory properties to them and, on the other, use them to treat fever, to make contraceptives and even aphrodisiacs.
One regime that is subject to strict control is that of temporary automobile imports. In the second half of 2022, Customs carried out 212 procedures for violations of the Temporary Vehicle Import Regime. Whoever enters a merchandise to Argentina for a certain period and then, after that term expires, does not re-export it, incurs this figure. It should be noted, in each case, the fine cannot be less than 30% of the Customs value of the merchandise, official sources explained.
Among the most striking cases, Customs mentioned a red Ferrari, model Italia 458, but there were also operations involving Range Rovers, pickups, motorcycles and even means of passenger transport.. Most of the kidnappings occurred in the Argentine provinces that border Chile and Paraguay.
