AGUADILLA, Puerto Rico– US Customs and Border Protection officers and import specialists found consignment packages containing prohibited Botox vials, which were seized after an inspection at the Rafael Hernández International Airport (BQN, TJBQ).
The two packages, sent from Seoul, Korea, contained 149 vials of Botulax, in violation of the Federal Drug Administration, Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The estimated domestic value of the seized products is over $15,000.
“The Internet has made it easy to find and purchase items from almost anywhere in the world. However, many people are discovering that getting a foreign-bought item successfully delivered to the United States is much more complicated,” stated Carlos Nieves, Port Director for the Port of Mayaguez-Aguadilla. “If merchandise, used or new, is imported into the United States, it must clear CBP and may be subject to the payment of duty as well as to whatever rules and regulations govern the importation of that particular product into the United States.”
Botox, or botulinum toxin, is restricted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and cannot be imported into the U.S. without proper documentation. The FDA provides guidance on how human drugs can be legitimately imported into the United States while meeting strict safety requirements.
CBP enforces hundreds of laws for partner agencies such as the FDA to ensure the American citizens are safe and protected from illicit goods. Consumers need to be aware of the risks taken when buying from third party sellers and the unknows of the products ingredients. CBP recommends consumers purchase regulated cosmetic products from reputable sources, and ensure they are administered by properly trained and licensed medical professionals.
The products CBP prevent from entering the United States are those that would injure community health, public safety, American workers, children, or domestic plant and animal life, or those that would defeat our national interests. Sometimes the products that cause injury, or have the potential to do so, may seem innocent. But, as you will see from the material that follows, appearances can be deceiving.
