Couple coming to Southern California on cruise ship busted with 150,000 contraband cigarettes
The 749 cartons of illegally imported cigarettes were concealed in 10 pieces of luggage being carried by the couple, who were arriving from Ensenada, Mexico, on April 17 at the Long Beach Cruise Ship Terminal, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release issued Wednesday.
Santa Monica College student deported by ICE, school says
The two women, who were traveling together, presented themselves for CBP inspection upon disembarking, and while they were able to show proof that they purchased the cigarettes, they were unable to show that they were permitted to import 'such a quantity' of tobacco products.
When CBP agents further inspected the ten pieces of luggage, they discovered 326 cartons of Newport 100s, 58 cartons of Newport Regular, 112 cartons of Marlboro Red, 43 cartons of Marlboro Silver and 210 cartons of Marlboro Gold cigarettes.
'Based on a low-end estimate of $80 a carton in the state of California, the total value of the cigarettes is estimated to be $59,920,' the CBP news release states.
Prominent Mexican band robbed of equipment at fake security checkpoint
A U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tade and Trade Bureau importer permit is required to import large quantities of cigarettes – which are considered 'commercial' and not personal use – to the United States. Additionally, product labels must meet FDA standards, such as including nicotine warnings and accurate product descriptions, federal officials explained.
While CBP Director of Los Angeles Field Operations Cheryl M. Davies stated in the release that 'travelers who intentionally disregard U.S. importation laws and regulations often pay a high price,' the exact punishment the two women will face was not disclosed. Neither of them were identified.
'Selling illegally imported cigarettes could yield high profits for underground vendors due to the low cost of cigarettes when purchased overseas and the evasion of taxes owed upon import,' Africa R. Bell, CBP Port Director of Los Angeles-Long Beach Seaport, said. 'This type of scheme not only evades revenue owed to the United States but may be harmful to the American consumer.'
All 749 cartons were seized and will be destroyed under CBP supervision, federal officials said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
WIRED
an hour ago
- WIRED
Phone Searches at the US Border Hit a Record High
Aug 20, 2025 12:01 PM Customs and Border Protection agents searched nearly 15,000 devices from April through June of this year, a nearly 17 percent spike over the previous three-month high in 2022. Photograph:United States Custom and Border Protection officials have sweeping powers to search anyone's phone when they are entering the country—including US citizens. Newly released figures show that over the past three months, CBP officials have been searching more phones and other devices than ever before. From April through June this year, CBP searched 14,899 devices carried by international travelers, according to stats published on the agency's website. While the figures aren't broken down by device type, the CBP has the ability to search phones, computers, cameras, and other electronics. The April-June spike tops the previous highest quarterly figure of at least 12,766 devices, which were searched by CBP officials from January through March 2022, by 16.7 percent. The increase in phone and device searches at the border comes as the second Trump administration takes aggressive actions on migration, with a vast increase in budget for the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement and thousands of arrests taking place. Since the start of the year, people traveling to the US have reported long detentions, intrusive phone searches and allegedly being denied entry due to content on their devices. In recent months, some European travelers have canceled trips to the US, while the number of Canadian visitors to the US has dropped for seven consecutive months. 'The real issue is the chilling effect it has on all travelers,' says Esha Bhandari, a deputy director of American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. Bhandari adds that anyone could be subject to a potential device search, including those who are critical of the administration or lawyers and journalists who may have sensitive information on their devices. 'This is essentially a limitless authority that they claim for themselves to search travelers without a warrant to search the full scope of information people carry on them,' Bhandari says. The CBP's data shows that there has been an uptick of phone and electronics searches over the past decade, throughout various administrations. According to the agency's statistics, which are published using the fiscal year running from October to September, there were 8,503 searches in 2015. By 2018, this figure had risen to 33,296 device searches, and the last full year of data available, the fiscal year 2024, there were 46,362 searches. The latest quarterly statistics for the past three months of 2025 show 13,824 'basic' searches and 1,075 'advanced' searches. Basic searches can involve a border agent manually scrolling through someone's phone and inspecting its contents. This means an agent may be able to find some information on a device but may not have the time or ability to conduct a deep inspection of what is included in messages or buried in photo reels. Meanwhile, advanced searches involve a much more intrusive approach: connecting forensics tools to the device to extract huge reams of data. Despite the spike in overall device searches, the number of advanced searches has remained relatively steady over the past 21 months. The CBP did not immediately respond to WIRED's request for comment. 'The number of travelers crossing the border that experience a border search of their electronic devices is small,' the CBP's web pages say. It says that in the last year where data is available, 'less than 0.01 percent' of international travelers had their devices searched. Anyone entering the US—from citizens to temporary visa holders—can potentially have their phones or electronics searched by CBP staff. Across the country, border zones typically fall outside of Fourth Amendment protections that require warrants for devices to be searched by officials. On its website, the CBP says that people should present their devices 'in a condition that allows for the examination of the device and its contents.' In short, that means unlocked and potentially giving the password to border agents. If a US citizen or green card holder refuses a search, they cannot—at least in theory—be denied entry to the country. However, their devices may be seized temporarily, and they could be subject to extra questioning. Foreign visitors can face detention or deportation for refusing a search. While advanced searches have made up only a tiny percentage of phone searches in recent years, that could be set to change as the second Trump administration progresses. As WIRED reported at the start of July, Customs and Border Protection is in the process of procuring advanced digital forensics tools to process data from electronic devices. The CBP currently has multiple contracts for forensics tools from Cellebrite. In a request for information, which was published in June and updated in July, the CBP said it is looking for more tools that can process data from travelers' devices and help border agents understand it. One example listed the ability to 'search a list of text messages to find patterns or 'hidden language' in suspect communications that may not be obvious at first look.'
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
25 Investigates: Pushing feds for answers after agents detain Canton mother with green card
25 Investigates is working to get answers from the U.S. government after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at Logan International Airport detained a Canton mother who has been living legally in the U.S. Jemmy Jimenez Rosa, 42, returned earlier this month from a family vacation in Mexico with her husband and their three young daughters. She was traveling with a valid U.S. Green Card — one that was just renewed in July. Her family says she was detained on August 11 and has been in custody ever since. 'She's very selfless, constantly trying to help out family, friends. Everything's about the kids,' said her husband, Marcel Rosa. Detained After Family Vacation Marcel Rosa, a U.S. citizen, says he handed over all the passports and his wife's Green Card when they landed at Logan. He says an officer pulled Jemmy aside for additional questioning. She was taken into a room alone. 'I walked in, and my wife's head was just down, and you could tell her whole spirit was just crushed,' he recalled. Rosa says the officer brought up a decades-old marijuana case. At age 20, Jemmy pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession and served probation. With little explanation, Rosa says he feared the worst. 'I just told my kids, I was like, hey girls… this might be the last time you see your mother,' he said as he was fighting back tears. Jemmy was held at Logan for four days without access to her medication, a phone call, or even a shower, according to her family and their attorney. Rosa says his wife suffers from high blood pressure, is diabetic and takes medication to treat mental health conditions. 'She Gets Sandbagged at the Airport' Boston-based immigration attorney Todd Pomerleau says he had no contact with Jemmy while she was detained at Logan by CBP. 'They would not allow us to see her. They wouldn't allow us to tell her she even had an attorney,' Pomerleau said. 'She has her green card renewed multiple times. She's allowed to travel multiple times, and now she gets sandbagged at the airport.' Legal Breakthrough — But Still No Answers Since last week, 25 Investigates has pressed CBP, the U.S. Attorney's Office, and ICE for answers about Jemmy's detention. Each agency has directed us to another. Meanwhile, this week Pomerleau challenged Jemmy's decades-old conviction in Massachusetts district court, arguing she didn't have proper legal counsel when she entered her plea 22 years ago. A judge and prosecutor agreed. Her case was dismissed. Jemmy's record is now clean. But as of Tuesday, August 19th, she still remains in ICE custody. And the Rosa family still waits for answers. 'All of them wake up in the middle of the night time just saying mommy mommy mommy,' Rosa said. 'We just want her free.' What's Next Pomerleau has sued the federal government, alleging a lack of due process in Jemmy's detention. She has since been transferred to an ICE detention facility in Maine, where she is now able to communicate with her family and her attorney. The agency told Pomerleau they could not hold any female detainees in Massachusetts. 25 Investigates asked CBP about the conditions Jemmy was allegedly held in. We also asked how many people are currently detained at Logan. We will update this story when we get a response. A bond hearing is scheduled for August 28 related to Jemmy's detention. Pomerleau says he is working to expedite that. 25 Investigates has also reached out directly to ICE leadership, including U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan, for comment. We are still waiting for a response. The family has launched a GoFundMe to help cover legal and unexpected expenses. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
DOD to offer new medal for personnel deployed to Southern Border
The Pentagon announced a new military decoration that will recognize service members stationed at the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the Trump administration's effort to bolster border security. A U.S. defense official confirmed to Military Times the veracity of a memorandum regarding the medal that began circulating online several days ago. 'Effective immediately, the Mexican Border Defense Medal (MBDM), is hereby established to recognize Service members deployed to the U.S. international border with Mexico for DoD support to United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP),' a memo uploaded to the Navy subreddit reads. Previously, service members collaborating with CBP were awarded the Armed Forces Service Medal, but the Mexican Border Defense Medal will take its place, according to the memo. Military personnel qualify for the medal if they have been 'permanently assigned, attached, or detailed to a unit that deployed' in support of a military operation supporting CBP within 100 nautical miles of the U.S.-Mexico border after Jan. 20, 2025, when President Trump assumed office. After chase, US Navy, Coast Guard intercept 1,296 pounds of cocaine Military personnel must have operated within Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California or the adjacent U.S. waters out to 24 nautical miles, the memo said. Service members and veterans can apply to have their Armed Forces Service Medal swapped out with the Mexican Border Defense Medal, but they are not allowed to possess both at once. Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 to deter the 'unlawful mass migration' of illegal aliens into the United States by deploying supplemental military personnel along the Southern Border, among other strategies. Over the last eight months, the administration has ramped up its border security mission. U.S. Northern Command established Joint Task Force-Southern Border on March 14, 2025, to lead immigration enforcement efforts. As of July 2, approximately 8,500 military personnel were attached to the task force. The administration has also deployed the U.S. Navy to intercept and halt the flow of illicit drugs into the country. On Aug. 11, U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Sampson, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, intercepted 1,296 pounds of cocaine from a drug smuggling vessel. Solve the daily Crossword
