Chicken tamales. Yes. Seafood tamales. OK.

But pork? No, hombre!

A passenger arriving at Los Angeles International Airport from Mexico with 450 pork tamales in his luggage discovered that distinction on Nov. 2. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized the passenger’s tasty haul, which was illegal to bring into the country.

“It seems like the intention was selling the tamales for commerce,” CBP spokesman Jaime Ruiz said. “Even if you bring them for personal use, it’s still a prohibited import.”

CBP agriculture specialists discovered the tamales when the unidentified passenger marked “Yes” on the customs declaration about whether he was bringing food into the country. But when asked to check whether the food included pork, he checked “no.”

Pork is prohibited.

The agents inspected his luggage and it didn’t take long to find the tamales wrapped in plastic.

The man was fined $1,000 for engaging in commercial activity with the intent to distribute. The pork meat tamales were seized and incinerated.

“Although tamales are a popular holiday tradition, foreign meat products can carry serious animal diseases from countries affected by outbreaks of avian influenza, mad cow (disease) and swine fever,” Anne Maricich, CBP acting director of field operations in Los Angeles, said in a written statement.

“Every day CBP agriculture specialists prevent the intentional and unintentional introduction of harmful pests and foreign animal diseases into the U.S.,” she said.

The man, Ruiz said, wasn’t fined for bringing in tamales; he was penalized for lying on his customs declaration, so he obviously knew the rules against pork products, Ruiz said.

Any traveler wanting to know what foods are allowed should check the cbp.gov website before packing, he said.

“You can bring chicken tamales, but you cannot bring pork meat tamales,” Ruiz said.

About 75,000 people were assessed penalties across the country last year for lying on their customs declarations.

CBP agents are tasked with keeping dangerous pests and diseases from entering the country. An outbreak can endanger California agriculture and result in serious economic damage, Ruiz said.

Bioterror is something the federal agency battles while its partners in law enforcement try to prevent typical terrorism. Agents are experts in diseases and pests related to meat, fruit and plants.

“A pest can be introduced via baggage,” Ruiz said. “This is serious business. This is part of our frontline operation — protecting us against all sources of terror.’

That includes the potential of outbreaks from pork meat.

“It’s a public health issue,” Ruiz said. “You can go to a Mexican restaurant and buy your pork tamale in the U.S.”