Pair had a total of 19kg of horse meat hidden in juice boxes on a flight from Mongolia to Dulles airport, Virginia

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Customs agents seized 5.9kg (13lbs) of horse genitals among 19kg of horse meat from two women arriving from Mongolia at Dulles international airport in Virginia.

The horse meat was hidden in juice boxes, Customs and Border Protection said. One of the women said the horse genitals were for medicinal purposes.

Neither woman was criminally charged over the incident in January.

Three litres of yak milk was also seized and the whole lot was incinerated.

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CBP says horse meat is prohibited from entering the US without an official certification due to fears of foot and mouth disease.

Horse meat from Mongolia, where the animal has a central part in the country’s culture, is always prohibited because of concerns about diseases.

“Customs and Border Protection takes no pleasure in seizing and destroying travelers’ food products,” said Wayne Biondi, CBP port director for Washington Dulles, according to the news website CBS Baltimore.

“We’re in the business of protecting America’s agriculture industries, like the livestock industry, from the potential introduction of animal diseases posed by these unpermitted food products.”