APHIS INSPECTORS SEIZE EIGHT TONS OF ILLEGAL HAWTHORNE APPLES

APHIS INSPECTORS SEIZE EIGHT TONS OF ILLEGAL HAWTHORNE APPLES    The U.S. Department of Agriculture has seized more than eight tons of illegal Hawthorne apples hidden in a shipment of admissible agricultural products from Mexico.
   The apples, also known as Tejocotes, and guavas are prohibited because they contain dangerous pests, such as fruit flies and mites, and could cause millions of dollars in damage to U.S. farmers’ crops, said Richard L. Dunkle, deputy administrator for plant protection and quarantine with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
   APHIS said it will continue “to work vigilantly to stop agricultural smuggling and prosecute violators who put this country’s agriculture at risk.”
   Along the U.S./Mexican border, APHIS inspectors works in cooperation with the Customs Service and Border Patrol as part of a border coordination program.