Mexico flowers create worry

Blooms brought over for Valentine’s Day may have pests.

Customs agents will step up searches for banned flowers meant for Valentine’s Day being smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico over worries about diseases and pests, federal officials announced.

Agriculture specialists will be stationed at El Paso area ports of entry to inspect flowers and plants being brought over the border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said last week.

Live plants, seeds and bulbs are not allowed to be brought into the United States without special permits and documents certifying that they are diseasefree.

“CBP agriculture specialists are working hard every day preventing potentially harmful plant pests and foreign animal diseases from entering the U.S.,” said Hector Mancha, the agency’s El Paso director of field operations.

Valentine’s Day week is one of their busiest periods of the year.

Valentine’s Day is Wednesday.

Some floral bouquets and arrangements purchased in Mexico contain flowers and greenery that are prohibited in the U.S.

At El Paso area ports of entry, the most common contraband flowers and plant foliage are chrysanthemums and choisya, a type of shrub sometimes called Mexican orange blossom.

Officials say both are known to harbor harmful pests and disease.

A person not declaring or intentionally smuggling prohibited items through ports of entry can face civil penalties beginning at $300, officials said.

Customs and Border Protection officers at Miami International Airport have deployed beagles to help search for prohibited fruits and vegetables that officials say could harm South Florida.