Woman busted at border with 92 pounds of cheese

LAREDO, Texas (AP) — Usually when U.S. customs inspectors discover large loads hidden in vehicles at the Mexican border, it's cocaine or methamphetamine. This time it was more than 92 pounds of cheese, and not the heroin-based kind.

U.S. customs officials have fined a Laredo woman $464 for failing to declare 92.7 pounds of white Mexican cheese she had hidden under the seats of her minivan when returning from Mexico.

Customs and Border Protection officials say the 29-year-old woman's illicit load of dairy was discovered when customs officers referred her for a secondary inspection at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge on Saturday. The cheese was destroyed.

Cheese for personal use, generally less than 10 pounds, can be imported without declaration, but there's a commercial entry process for larger quantities.