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Traveler from Cuba stopped at airport after shocking find in bottle
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported an incident involving a traveler arriving from Cuba at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
The federal agency used the case to issue a warning on Friday on social media after seizing a bottle containing what it described as a 'biological substance' whose importation into the country is regulated.
After an inspection by CBP agricultural specialists, the bottle was ultimately confiscated, according to Jud Murdock, CBP's Director of Field Operations in Houston.
Read more: Customs issues strong warning: Travelers in Florida could lose these 'privileges'
Murdock's post explained that the bottle seized from the traveler arriving from Cuba contained scorpion venom.
Although the passenger said the venom was intended for medical purposes, Murdock stated in an X post that they did not have the 'documentation to import the biological substance.'
CBP and associated government agencies regulate the importation of biological materials through airports because they 'may pose a threat to agriculture, public health and natural resources.'
'All biological materials imported into the United States must be documented, labeled, packaged, marked and declared in accordance with applicable international, federal and state regulations,' CBP stated.
Failure to comply with these regulations can result in delays in importation, civil or criminal penalties, and/or the seizure of the biological materials, CBP said.
Biological materials can be declared verbally to Customs, via the Mobile Passport Control app, at a self-service kiosk (such as Global Entry or Automated Passport Control), or by using CBP Form 6059B.
'Please leave the home remedies at home,' the agency warned in another X post about the incident.
In Cuba, scientists have promoted the use of blue scorpion (Rhopalurus junceus) venom, a species endemic to the island, as a remedy for inflammation and pain, which may also slow tumor growth in some cancer patients.
A Reuters report states that the Cuban state-owned pharmaceutical company Labiofam has been using scorpion venom since 2011 to produce the homeopathic medicine Vidatox.
The product is listed in Cuba's clinical trials registry, and Labiofam recommends it as a supplementary treatment that should not replace conventional medicine.
Although Vidatox has gained some popularity over the years and Cuba sells it in several countries, foreign scientists argue that more research is needed to support its claimed effects on cancer, according to Reuters.
