A 21-year-old Compton man is learning it is not okay to try to conceal your meth in some potato chip bags and board a flight at Los Angeles International Airport. Even if they are cheddar and bacon flavored. more ›

When you care enough to send the very best...well, maybe you shouldn't be sending it on a flight to Los Angeles. Federal customs officials announced a recent seizure of drums holding about 520 pounds of a powdered chemical used to make meth at LAX. The shipment of methylamine hydrochloride was found at a cargo facility last month. more ›

It was a nice try, but against the law, and today the actions of Michael Plank of Lomita have had their consequences set. Plank, 42, has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for smuggling 15 lizards from Australia into the United States--so basically one month per lizard. more ›

Even if you sit on your pot and pretend to be disabled, those drug-sniffing dogs of the border patrol can still get wise to your plan. A 19-year-old man learned this lesson this weekend as he attempted to make it over the border from Mexico into the U.S. at San Ysidro,"the world's busiest land border crossing" (thanks, Wiki!) with five pounds of marijuna stuffed inside the seat of a wheelchair, according to KTLA. more ›

Inspectors at LAX today encountered a not-so-pretty find : About 5,400 fake M.A.C makeup brushes attempting to land in L.A. from China, reports CBS2. The faux beauty tools arrived, and seized, " in five shipments at an air cargo express consignment location between Jan. 20 and Feb. 11," according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) rep. The big pile of fake M.A.C. was estimated as having a retail value of $112,500. Okay, so are fake makeup brushes really a big deal? Yes, say customs officials, because they're sort of a gateway drug to other offenses: "the trading of illegitimate goods is often linked to and provides funding for various other criminal enterprises." more ›

Customs inspectors have found larvae of the khapra beetle in a shipment of rice from Pakistan, according to CBS. The larvae-riddled finding was made on January 13th and has just been established as a pest that did not originate in the United States. Jaime Ruiz of U.S. Customs and Border Protection says this is the fourth seizure of khapra beetle larvae in the last two and a half months. So before you start stirring your basmati diligently to get the perfect texture, rinse, rinse, rinse! more ›

A couple of reindeer won't be passing along their holiday cheer in Los Angeles this week after being seized by Customs and Border Protection agents at LAX, reports CBS2. Not real reindeer, mind you--these were decorative items made of grass brought in by a passenger from El Salvador, confiscated because " the grass seeds were viable and showed signs of being diseased." Since Christmas is about spreading love and joy and not "microbial blights," the CBP were just looking out for everyone's well-being. PS: If you've got someone coming in from out of the country better remind them now to leave their food, plants, and grass reindeer behind. more ›

Last month, Customs and Border Protection were waiting when Song Dong of Garden Grove returned to Los Angeles from Vietnam. During inspection, they initially noticed bird feathers and droppings on his socks and upon a further look, "14 live birds attached to two flat pieces of clothe that were wrapped around his calves," according to the United States Attorneys Office. more ›

Now this was very slick. "Federal officials say the man is seen on tape guiding Mexicana passengers out of the airport, avoiding immigration and customs inspectors. They believe he is part of a larger smuggling operation," says the LA Times of North Hills resident, Roberto Amaya Canchola, 53, who was arrested yesterday for smuggling in at least 15 people. more ›