Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Danielle Zoellner

Human brain in a jar seized at US-Canada border by agents

A human brain was seized at the US-Canada border on Friday during a routine mail truck inspection ( US Customs and Border Patrol )

A human brain was seized at the US border after someone from Canada attempted to ship the undocumented organ across country lines. 

US Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port Huron port in Michigan were examining a Canadian mail truck when they discovered a package labeled "Antique Teaching Specimen", according to a news release

Border agents stopped the mail truck after it crossed Blue Water Bridge in a routine check when they discovered the package.

Inside the package, seized on Friday, was a brain in a jar "without any paperwork or documentation in support of its lawful entry". 

According to the release, the brain came from Toronto and was intended for a recipient in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 

"Individuals looking to import shipments, such as this, need to remember that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a strict Import Permit Program that must be adhered to," Area Port Director Michael Fox said. 

"This is just another great example of just one of the many things CBP officers do to protect our nation on a daily basis."

The CDC Import Permit Program regulates the importation of "infections biological materials that could cause disease in humans". 

An application to the CDC is required prior to mailing biological agents, vectors of human disease, or live bats to the US. 

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.