Customs Frontline [QUICK]

I’ve been yelled at. Threatened. Someone offered me a bribe last Tuesday ($500 to "forget" the extra carton of cigarettes). I've had to tell a bride that her wedding dress (made of endangered moth cocoons) is illegal to import.

Most people think of Customs as a stamp in a passport. A formality. A line you stand in after a long flight. But for those of us wearing this uniform, the frontline is a living ecosystem of risk, rhythm, and rapid decisions. customs frontline

Last week, a grandmother came through. Sweetest person you’d ever meet. Her suitcase x-ray showed a dense, organic block. My heart sank. But when we opened the bag, it wasn't drugs. It was 40 pounds of homemade sausage—pork, unrefrigerated, wrapped in banana leaves. I’ve been yelled at