BALTIMORE: US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Baltimore cruise terminal discovered marijuana in a bag carried by a US citizen.
A CBP narcotics detector dog alerted to the presence of a controlled substance in the luggage of the traveler. A subsequent search by CBP officers resulted in the discovery and seizure of a small plastic pill container containing marijuana weighing 7.8 grams. The woman, a Tivoli, N.Y. resident, was assessed a $500 Zero Tolerance penalty and released.
“The number of travelers we encounter possessing controlled substances is very small compared to the more than 288,000 passengers and crew we inspect at the cruise terminal annually; however, possessing narcotics remains illegal and travelers face severe consequences, from costly civil penalties up to, and including, possible arrest,” said Dianna Bowman, CBP Area Port Director for the Port of Baltimore.
Cruise ships sail internationally and CBP is required to inspect each passenger and crewman aboard ship upon arrival. CBP also conducts outbound inspections.
One component of CBP’s inspectional process is narcotics enforcement.
On average, CBP seizes 10,327 pounds of drugs a day at and between our 328 U.S. ports of entry nationwide. In addition to narcotics interdiction, CBP conducts inspection operations and intercepts currency, weapons, prohibited agriculture products and other illicit items.
Travelers are encouraged to visit CBP Travel Information to learn rules governing travel to and from the US
