I went behind the scenes at Los Angeles International Airport awhile back with the airport’s then-supervisor of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, officer Kris Rueda (whose portrait hung in the airport corridors alongside those of the mayor and the president). Officer Rueda, who has since retired, took me into the airport’s underbelly where we watched beagles sniff suitcases en route to baggage claim via the airport’s newly modernized conveyor and sorting system. It was like a scene from an action-sci-fi movie. Occasionally a dog would sit or wag its tail, each discreet response telling its handler something important.
“When a dog signals to its handler like that, how do you know if it’s detecting food or some other contraband, like drugs?” I asked.
Ha! She laughed. “It’s always food,” she said. “LAX doesn’t have drug dogs anymore. Nobody does. We used to, but the government cut funding for that years ago.”
The only dogs sniffing arrivals these days are the USDA beagles, she explained — and they are laser focused on agriculture-import violations: meats, viable seeds, live plants and a long list of prohibited foods, even live animals. “They are very good at it,” she said. “You’d be surprised by what people try to smuggle in.” Sometimes its surreptitious, sometimes it’s innocent. But no matter how hard someone might try to conceal something, she said the beagles catch it.
The dogs work mostly behind the scenes, but can occasionally be seen around baggage claim and other arrival corridors. If you see a beagle there — and you’ve got a box of crackers and triple-cream brie in your backpack — they’re going to know it. They can often smell it from across the hall, she said.
In the old days, all passengers arriving internationally were required to fill out a customs declaration form, but those forms have disappeared. Instead, Customs has adapted a new honor system for agricultural declarations. There’s now just a simple desk or station near the exit from baggage claim where everyone is expected to self-report.
Technically, everyone arriving on an international flight is required to declare any and all food or agricultural products in their possession, whether it’s a bag of salt from Colima, a prized Barolo from Piedment, a canister of jasmine-blossom tea from Hong Kong, or whatever. Thanks to the beagles — and advanced imaging — behind the scenes, customs already knows what’s in the luggage arriving on the carousel in baggage claim.
I often walk right past that volunteer desk and head straight for the exit without saying a word — unless I see a beagle. If I do spot a dog sniffing around, I don’t risk it. I beeline to the customs desk and alert them to my stash. As long as it’s not something illegal, they’ll wave me on through. But if anyone attempts to skip that self-declaration and a beagle catches up to them, even if what they’re carrying is perfectly legal, they still could be subjected to a serious delay and a hefty fine.
These are some my favorite souvenirs from recent years — and how customs says I was supposed to behave for each:
Hunan, China — Meicha, also known as vine tea, is an herbal tea from the leaves of a wild grapevine found in the mountains of Wuling in China’s Hunan Province. Meicha means “white frost,” a reference to the layer of white flavonoid crystals that form on the leaves. It’s naturally very sweet and prized for its ability to quickly soothe a sore throat. It’s also simply beautiful to display in a glass jar.
Customs says: Bring it, and declare it.
Me: I did. It’s unique enough that it could have been flagged.
London, England — You can’t make a proper sticky toffee pudding without Lyle’s Golden Syrup. It’s also astonishingly good on waffles. It tastes of butterscotch and molasses. There’s simply nothing else like it, so you’ll want to keep a supply in the pantry.
Customs says: Bring it, and declare it.
Me: I packed it but didn’t declare it. No problem.
Val Venosta, Italy — Some people insist the best hams in Italy are the prosciuttos. But I’m here to argue for speck, the traditional hams from the Alto Adige, where Italian and German cultures collide. I’m really in love with Recla speck, from the Venosta valley. It’s delicately salted and smoked, then cured in the alpine air for 24 weeks. But don’t even think about trying to get it past the dogs.
Customs says: Go straight to airport jail.
Me: Savor it in Italy. Back home, buy more at Eataly.
Istanbul, Turkey — Nobody goes to Istanbul without visiting the Grand Bazaar. And nobody visits the Grand Bazaar without buying at least a small box of lokum, or Turkish delight, that uniquely chewy confection flavored with rose water, pistachios, bergamot and whatnot — as pretty to look at as it is fun to eat.
Customs says: Bring it, and declare it.
Me: It was a long flight, and I ate most of mine on the plane. Didn’t bother declaring the rest.
Colima, Mexico — I collect salts from around the world. For years I obsessed over Maldon flakes from coastal Essex, England, and later the moist gray salt from Brittany, France. But I’m currently obsessed with the extraordinary, bright-white sea salt from Colima, Mexico. I cannot fathom grilling a steak without it.
Customs says: Bring it, and declare it.
Me: I always declare anything that might be mistaken for a bag of drugs.
Hong Kong, China — There’s a truly amazing tea company in Hong Kong called MingCha, run by a quiet-spoken woman named Vivian Mak, who is easily one of the world’s foremost authorities on Chinese tea. Her company makes a truly exquisite jasmine blossom tea. Do not leave Hong Kong without a stash from this shop.
Customs says: Bring it, and declare it.
Me: I declared it and got waved through without inspection.
Manjimup, Australia — The only place outside Southern France where the Perigord truffle grows successfully is Western Australia, specifically the hills around Manjimup. The Manjimup truffles are every bit as wonderful as Perigord. The season runs June through August. Visit Truffle Hill and enjoy a hunt with the dogs, followed by nice little lunch. But do not smuggle these things on the plane.
Customs says: Don’t even think about it. The beagles will sniff you out.
Me: Yay, in the U.S., Truffle Hill products are now available through Urbani.
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico — I always head straight to La Ventana, the town’s oldest (and still the best) coffee roaster. Their Mexican coffee beans arrive directly from Chiapas and are roasted in the shop, which perfumes the entire centro historico with an intoxicating aroma of smoldering coffee. They have a walk-up window on Diez de Sollano. Ask for the house blend, a mixture dark- and medium-roast beans.
Customs says: Bring it, and declare it.
Me: There’s no hiding that beautiful aroma. I declare it.
Piedmont, Italy — Amateurs eat Nutella. Experts choose authentic gianduja with a hazelnut percentage well above Nutella’s measly 13 percent. Marco Colzani’s Nocciole e Cacao from Piedmont is the real deal: 50 percent hazelnut. And while you’re in Piedmont, don’t forget to pick up a couple of nice Barolos.
Customs says: Pack it, and declare it.
Me: I always declare the booze. But a jar of chocolate, probably not.
Shengzhou, China — Longjing is the king of green tea, and the finest longjing tea comes from the first buds of early April, handpicked in Zhejiang province. These young, first-harvest leaves are rich in amino acids, creating a smooth, rounded body with a distinctive roasted aroma. I first discovered this tea in Beijing, but it’s available throughout China, including from MingCha in Hong Kong.
Customs says: Bring it, and declare it.
Me: I declared it, and Customs chuckled and waved me on through.
Pantelleria, Italy — The outermost Sicilian island of Pantelleria is home to the world’s best capers, which are always packed in salt, not water. Once you’ve tasted these extraordinary salted capers, you’ll never look at a caper the same way again. Stock up.
Customs says: Bring it, and declare it.
Me: I declared simply because they are so deliciously pungent.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam —Vietnam has become the unexpected rising-star of Asia’s luxury restaurant and bar scene. Top bartenders pour Vietnam’s very own Sông Cái gin, which is deliciously floral and makes a fantastic Martini with very little embellishment. Really good stuff.
Customs says: Bring up to two bottles, and declare it.
Me: Didn’t have to. A friend gifted this to me.
Baden-Württemberg, Germany — Germany makes the world’s best dry sausages. And until you’ve had a proper landjäeger, you haven’t lived. The smoked hunter sausage from the mountains of Southern Germany is one of my favorite all-time snacks.
Customs says: Nope.
Me: Luckily I live in Southern California where there’s a great German smokehouse, Mattern’s, that makes landjäeger as good as you’ll find in Baden-Württemberg.
Before you travel, here’s what’s allowed, and what’s not:
According to CBP’s website: Any and all culinary or agricultural products brought in by travelers should be declared. If you declare something that, upon inspection, an officer identifies as inadmissible, you will not be penalized. However, if you fail to declare something and get caught trying to skirt the inspection, you can face up to $10,000 in fines and penalties and a potential detainment. The mandatory minimum fine for a first offense is $300.
All photography by Brad A. Johnson (except for the two airport images at top, which are from Adobe Stock). For more travel and dining inspiration, photos and random commentary, I invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Instagram, Facebook and Threads. (I’m no longer active on Twitter/X.)
