US customs fines traveler $500 and revokes Global Entry for undeclared Spanish meats

At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, customs officers uncovered roughly 9 kg of cured meats—including chorizo, salpicão, cured pork loin, fuet and linguiça—bought at a Mercadona supermarket in Spain. The passenger failed to declare the items on the required entry forms, violating US Department of Agriculture quarantine regulations designed to block pests and diseases like African swine fever, an outbreak reported in wild boar near Barcelona in late 2025.

Because this was his second violation, US Customs and Border Protection imposed a $500 fine and permanently cancelled his Global Entry trusted-traveller membership, stripping him of expedited processing. The agency warned that repeat offenders face harsher penalties and that some shelf-stable cured meats may be allowed if declared and inspected. Travelers heading to the United States are advised to declare any meat products to avoid confiscation and fines. The incident underscores the strictness of US import rules compared with other regions such as the UK, which has its own post-Brexit checks.