Recently, Mr. Wu, a Chinese national from Zhejiang, China, and his 12-year-old daughter were entrusted by Ms. Yu from Los Angeles to carry 16 bottles of Compound Licorice Tablets into the country. Upon clearing customs at Los Angeles International Airport, they were handcuffed, detained in a small room for over ten hours, and ordered to be barred from entering the United States for the next five years.
Ms. Yu stated that her daughter needs to take Compound Licorice Tablets long-term due to illness, and she had previously asked friends to carry them into the U.S. without any issues. This time, Mr. Wu traveled on a Philippine Airlines flight, and all passengers' luggage was inspected. The 16 bottles, totaling 1,600 tablets, carried by Mr. Wu were confiscated, and he was handcuffed and threatened with being sent to prison. When she and her lawyer rushed to the airport, the police prevented them from meeting or speaking with him. Later, Mr. Wu and his daughter were sentenced to a five-year entry ban and were immediately deported back to China.
She said these are medications prescribed by doctors in China and there were no issues with their use. However, the FDA inspection report later mailed by customs showed that the Compound Licorice Tablets contained cocaine, which is a prohibited substance, and must be destroyed or mailed back to China. She feels the punishment of a five-year entry ban for Mr. Wu and his daughter is too severe and is currently seeking to have the penalty reduced.
There is another case. Ms. Zhao, a Chinese resident in Los Angeles, said that her mother recently carried a piece of traditional Chinese medicine resembling a tree root in her luggage without declaring it. It was discovered by customs, who questioned why it was not declared. Customs officers even used a small knife to cut a piece for staff to inspect, and the medicine was later confiscated. She had previously brought 20 large bags of traditional Chinese medicine for treating migraines and regulating the body, containing ingredients like saffron, leeches, and scorpions. In fact, it is quite common for Chinese people to bring medicine, often thinking that if caught, it will only be confiscated. Depending on the nature of the medication, this is not the case. Last year, a student carrying Contac cold medicine was sentenced to 2 years in prison and will be deported after serving the sentence.
Worldway immigration experts remind everyone that U.S. Customs inspections have been stricter recently. People coming to the U.S. for tourism, visiting relatives, studying, working, or even living locally should thoroughly understand what items are prohibited from being brought in. Do not let small items cause trouble for yourself or the friends you are carrying items for. Based on the actual entry experiences of some friends, as well as relevant regulations and materials, the prohibited items for entry into the United States are summarized as follows:
1. If you are carrying $10,000 or more in cash or equivalent currency, you must truthfully declare it on the U.S. Customs declaration form; otherwise, it will be seized. Rest assured, reporting it will not result in taxes; it is just for registration. The United States is a country without foreign exchange controls. Various gold coins and gold bars are allowed with no quantity limits.
2. Pirated U.S. books, recordings, tapes, and counterfeit goods, including fake U.S. brand clothing, shoes, hats, electronic products, etc., are strictly prohibited. Once discovered, fines can reach thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars, and you may even face legal action.
3. Liquids, aerosols, or hair gel containers in carry-on luggage must be equal to or less than 100 milliliters. All containers must be sealed in a one-liter transparent plastic bag, with a limit of one bag per person. The plastic bag capacity must not exceed 1 liter, which is approximately 20 x 20 cm or 15 x 25 cm. Upon reaching the security checkpoint, you must surrender any liquids, aerosols, or hair gels exceeding 100 milliliters, including such duty-free items. Containers exceeding 100 milliliters should be placed in checked luggage or left behind. Half-full containers with a capacity exceeding 100 milliliters are not allowed. The new regulations will also add random pat-down searches to the security process.
4. Each adult can bring 0.95 liters of alcohol into the United States duty-free, and can also bring 300 cigarettes or 50 cigars, or 1.35 kilograms of tobacco (non-Cuban) duty-free. Items exceeding these limits must be subject to excess customs duties.
5. Various meats, unprocessed leather, or animal furs cannot be brought into the country by anyone without special permission. All chicken, duck, goose, pork, beef, lamb, venison, and horse meat are prohibited, regardless of whether they are sealed, vacuum-packed, wrapped in dozens of plastic bags, or whether they are meat floss, sausages, mooncake fillings, biscuit fillings, ham, canned goods, cured meat, sauce-marinated meat, fresh meat, smoked meat, dried meat, meat pies, meat zongzi, instant noodles containing meat, non-canned or non-cured fish and fish roe, poultry eggs, etc. U.S. Customs officers seem particularly sensitive to Chinese meat products; it is said that most of them recognize the Chinese character for "meat" and their eyes "turn blue" as soon as they see it. Also, please be reminded that any items made from cat or dog fur are strictly prohibited from entering the United States.
6. Do not bring any kind of fresh fruit, vegetables, plants, seeds, or plant products into the country. For special needs, special permission must be obtained. The reason for this regulation is that not only in the United States, but in many countries around the world, efforts are being made to prevent the spread of insect and plant pests from one country to another. Therefore, insects, except for specimens, are not allowed into the United States. Items that cannot be brought into the United States also include: medicinal liquor, bird's nest, purple glutinous rice, peanuts, dairy products (including milk, instant milk tea, milk candy, dairy desserts, cheese, and cheese products), and canned food.
7. Generally, common prescription Chinese and Western medicines can be carried through security, but you may sometimes be required to provide proof of need. Traditional Chinese medicine products must be free of parasitic plants. Precious medicinal materials such as snake bile, leopard bone, tiger skin, and deer antler belong to protected animals and are strictly prohibited from being brought into the United States. Parasitic plants such as dodder and dendrobium are also prohibited, as are those containing cocaine. Dried tangerine peel (chenpi) used as traditional Chinese medicine is also on the prohibited list.
8. Products from certain countries under U.S. sanctions—including products from North Korea or Cuba—cannot be brought into the United States.
Of course, various drugs, military weapons and ammunition, and all kinds of flammable and explosive dangerous goods are also on the prohibited list.
If you are unaware of the situation and bring in prohibited items, as long as you declare them, they are usually just confiscated, and fines are rare. But if you do not declare them and are caught, you are very likely to go to jail.
Also, please be reminded that U.S. entry requirements can change. For example, since the 9/11 incident, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration has for the first time allowed passengers to carry small knives with a length not exceeding 2.36 inches and a width not exceeding 0.5 inches onto airplanes. Customs regulations for entry items are constantly increasing, usually based on testing confiscated items; if there is a problem, it will definitely be added to the list of prohibited items.
Worldway immigration experts suggest that when entering the United States, try to carry as few items as possible to reduce unnecessary trouble.
