POSTED: Wednesday, October 27, 2010 - 9:24am
UPDATED: Wednesday, October 27, 2010 - 9:28am
As the U.S./Mexican border communities gear up for the Dia de Los Muertos holiday, there is important information from U.S. Custom officials about agricultural items being crossed into the country, Joangel Concepcion has the details.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection along with the USDA want to warn travelers to not bring back any agricultural goods from Mexico. With Dia de Los Muertos celebrations around the corner it is a Mexican tradition to use fruit and flowers as decorations, but Custom officials say some of the items may carry citrus diseases.
Prohibited items from Mexico include fruits such as oranges, limes and grapefruit and the list doesn't end there. The Border Protection agency and the USDA hope to raise awareness of the diseases which could ultimately by devastating to America's citrus industry.
Penalties for personal imports can run as high as $1,000 dollars and up to $250,000 dollars for commercial imports.